Great Supreme Court Decision‏

*Justices Bar Life Terms for Youths Who Haven’t Killed**By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS*WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court has ruled that teenagers may notbe locked up for life without chance of parole if they haven't killedanyone. By a 5-4 vote Monday, the court says the Constitution requires thatyoung people serving life sentences must at least be considered forrelease. The court ruled in the case of Terrance Graham, who was implicated inarmed robberies when he was 16 and 17. Graham, now 22, is in prison inFlorida, which holds more than 70 percent of juvenile defendantslocked up for life for crimes other than homicide. "The state has denied him any chance to later demonstrate that he isfit to rejoin society based solely on a nonhomicide crime that hecommitted while he was a child in the eyes of the law," JusticeAnthony Kennedy wrote in his majority opinion. "This the EighthAmendment does not permit." Chief Justice John Roberts agreed with Kennedy and the court's fourliberal justices about Graham. But Roberts said he does not believethe ruling should extend to all young offenders who are locked up forcrimes other than murder; he was a "no" vote on the ruling. Life sentences with no chance of parole are rare and harsh forjuveniles tried as adults and convicted of crimes less serious thankilling, although roughly three dozen states allow for the possibilityof such prison terms. Just over 100 prison inmates in the UnitedStates are serving those terms, according to data compiled byopponents of the sentences. Those inmates are in Florida and seven other states -- California,Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska and South Carolina --according to a Florida State University study. More than 2,000 otherjuveniles are serving life without parole for killing someone. Theirsentences are not affected by Monday's decision. Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissentedfrom Monday's ruling. Thomas criticized the majority for imposing "its own sense of moralityand retributive justice" on state lawmakers and voters who chose togive state judges the option of life-without-parole sentences. --