US EditionPennsylvania court upends mandatory use of life-without-parole for second-degree murder
The ruling affects over 1,000 inmates serving life without parole for felony murder and requires legislative action within 120 days to revise sentencing laws.
- On Thursday, March 26, 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder are unconstitutional, citing violations of the state's "cruel punishments" clause.
- Pennsylvania's felony murder rule previously mandated life imprisonment for anyone participating in a felony resulting in death, regardless of intent. Chief Justice Debra Todd wrote the mandatory scheme "prevents the sentencer from considering whether this harshest of sentences proportionately punishes the offender."
- Derek Lee, who was upstairs during a 2014 robbery where his accomplice committed a killing, received an automatic life sentence. More than 1,000 people in Pennsylvania currently serve similar sentences, 70 percent of them Black, according to the Philadelphia Bar Association.
- The justices stayed their ruling for 120 days to allow the Pennsylvania General Assembly time to "consider remedial procedures" regarding resentencing. This affects one of the world's highest rates of life sentencing.
- Governor Josh Shapiro praised the ruling, stating he has "long believed this law is unjust and wrong" and called on the legislature to create a just process for those serving life sentences.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Hanford Sentinel
Mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder are unconstitutional, Pa. Supreme Court rules
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder are unconstitutional — a significant decision that is likely to reshape a portion of state law that many criminal justice advocates and some public officials have…
Pa. Supreme Court rules mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder are unconstitutional
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder are unconstitutional, delivering a decision long sought by criminal justice advocates.
Pa. Supreme Court ruling could lead to largest resentencing effort in state history
SCI Somerset on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (Photo by Commonwealth Media Services)The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday it’s unconstitutional to require mandatory life sentences without parole for people convicted of felony murder. “Life without parole imposes the harshest imprisonment sanction permitted under the law ─ imprisonment until death without the opportunity for consideration of release ─ regardless of culpability,” Chief Justice …
Associated Press News
Pennsylvania court upends mandatory use of life-without-parole for second-degree murder
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court says the state cannot automatically give life without parole for felony murder without weighing each defendant’s culpability in the killing.
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