Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/high-court-to-rule-on-life-sentences-for-minors Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript The Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases Monday over whether sentencing minors to life in prison without a chance for parole constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal discusses the cases with Jim Lehrer. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JIM LEHRER: Now: life sentences without parole for juveniles convicted of non-lethal crimes. That issue was before the U.S. Supreme Court today, as the justices took up two cases from Florida. Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal was there, and is now here. Marcia, good to see you again. MARCIA COYLE: Nice to see you, Jim. JIM LEHRER: Two cases, tell us quickly what they are. MARCIA COYLE: OK. The first case involved Terrance Graham, who was 17 when he was convicted and sentenced to life without parole for a series of armed robberies. The second case involved Joe Sullivan, who was 13 when he was convicted of robbing a home and later returning with an accomplice to rape, brutally rape, a 73-year-old woman. JIM LEHRER: Now, both of these cases happened in Florida. What towns in Florida? MARCIA COYLE: One, I believe, in Jacksonville. I'm not sure where the second one is. JIM LEHRER: OK, but they're both — and they're now linked, even though they — they were separate — separate — there are some separate issues here, but they were argued together today, right? MARCIA COYLE: They are, because they raise the same issue. They're basically asking the court whether this sentence violates the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. And, as you know, that bans cruel and unusual punishment. JIM LEHRER: And that would — that — that question relates whether the — the juvenile was 13 years old or older, right? MARCIA COYLE: Absolutely. JIM LEHRER: Right. Now, how did the arguments go today in the court? MARCIA COYLE: Well, the lawyers for the juveniles basically have to address whether the sentence is cruel and unusual. And they told the justices that, one, it is cruel because it strips the juvenile of any hope of ever getting out of jail. It basically tells a juvenile: You will never change, never be able to take your place in society again. You will die in your cell. And they also said it was unusual because, even though a majority of states allow the imposition of this sentence, it's rarely imposed.