Lifers ask Pa. Supreme Court to open pathway for resentencing after lawmakers fail to act
The petitions seek resentencing for more than 1,100 people after lawmakers missed a deadline to address the court’s March ruling, attorneys said.
- On Thursday, four prisoners represented by the Abolitionist Law Center filed King's Bench petitions urging the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to make its March ruling striking down mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder retroactive to all currently serving such sentences.
- The high court's March ruling in Commonwealth v. Lee declared mandatory life sentences unconstitutional, but the legislature failed to establish a new sentencing structure by the July 24 deadline, leaving over 1,000 prisoners in legal limbo.
- Petitioners John Marshall Payne III, Lori Ann Lassiter, Marsha Scaggs, and Cecil Holmes argue they have "no legal recourse" to remedy their sentences, creating "a fundamental inequity" compared to those convicted of second-degree murder under current standards.
- King's Bench petitions, which allow the court to intervene in matters of "immediate public importance," are rarely used; yet attorneys argue this action is necessary as some prisoners face declining health and risk never seeing relief.
- Should the justices rule in the prisoners' favor, trial judges would have the opportunity to resentence them, though they would proceed without sentencing guidelines until lawmakers act to address the constitutional issues.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Lifers ask Pa. Supreme Court to open pathway for resentencing after lawmakers fail to act – WTOP News
In the face of legislative inaction, four people serving mandatory life for second-degree murder want the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to step in and open a pathway for sentences like theirs to be reconsidered. Their Thursday morning filings ask the court to intervene quickly through a rare legal process known as a King’s Bench petition. This...
Associated Press News
Lifers ask Pa. Supreme Court to open pathway for resentencing after lawmakers fail to act
In the face of legislative inaction, four people serving mandatory life for second-degree murder want the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to step in and open a pathway for sentences like theirs to be reconsidered.
Attorneys urge Pa. Supreme Court to apply second-degree resentencing ruling retroactively
Some aging prisoners who have served decades in prison under a now-unconstitutional life sentence for second-degree murder don't have time to wait for a lengthy resentencing process, attorneys argue.
PA lifers turn to Supreme Court for sentencing relief
In the face of legislative inaction, four people serving mandatory life for second-degree murder want the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to step in and open a pathway for sentences like theirs to be reconsidered. Their Thursday morning filings ask the court to intervene quickly through a rare legal process known as a King’s Bench petition. This type of filing allows the state Supreme Court to take up a legal matter directly, bypassing lower courts a…
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