People v. Manning

Robin Manning was sentenced to mandatory life without parole for his involvement in a teenage fight gone awry just three months after he turned 18. Juvenile Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed an amicus brief in the Michigan Supreme Court in support of Mr. Manning. Our brief argued that the imposition of a mandatory life sentence on an 18-year-old violates the Eighth Amendment because young adults possess the same relevant characteristics as youth under 18. We also highlighted how jurisdictions around the country, including Michigan, are increasingly raising the age of adulthood above age 18 in situations that implicate the developmental characteristics relied upon in Miller, and how even older adolescents resentenced under Miller are rarely receiving life without parole. 

The Michigan Supreme Court denied Mr. Manning’s Application for Leave to Appeal.