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183 So. 3d 220

Williams v. State

Supreme Court of Alabama

Decided March 27, 2015

Supreme Court of Alabama · decided 2015-03-27

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently August 2017

2 state decisions

Relies on Miller v. Alabama

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 2015-03-27

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MOORE, Chief Justice

¶1(dissenting).

¶2I agree with the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court that’ the decision in Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. -, 132 S.Ct. 2455, 183 L.Ed.2d 407 (2012), represents “further judicial displacement of the legislative role in prescribing appropriate punishment for crime.” 567 U.S. at -, 132 S.Ct. at 2481 (Roberts, C.J., dissenting). As Chief Justice Roberts concluded: “Neither the text of the Constitution nor our precedent prohibits legislatures from requiring that juvenile murderers be sentenced to life without parole.” 567 U.S. at -, 132 S.Ct. at 2482. In a similar vein, Justice Thomas wrote:

“The legislatures ■ of Arkansas and Alabama, like those of 27 other jurisdictions, ... have determined that all offenders convicted of specified homicide offenses, whether juveniles or not, deserve a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Nothing in our Constitution authorizes this Court to supplant that choice.”

¶3Miller, 567 U.S. at-, 132 S.Ct. at 2483 (Thomas, J., dissenting) (emphasis added). Justice Alito, also dissenting in Miller, stated: “Nothing in the Constitution supports this arrogation of legislative authority.” 567 U.S. at-, 132 S.Ct. at 2487

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