People v. Taylor

Robert Taylor was sentenced to mandatory life without parole for an offense that occurred when he was 16 years old. He was given a resentencing hearing pursuant to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller v. Alabama, but he was again sentenced to life without parole. 

Juvenile Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, and Juvenile Sentencing Project filed an amicus brief in the Michigan Supreme Court in support of Mr. Taylor. Our brief argued that neuroscientific and developmental research mandates a categorical bar on life without parole sentences for youth, and that, at a minimum, Michigan should establish procedural protections to ensure youth rarely receive life without parole sentences. 

The Michigan Supreme Court held that under Michigan law there is a presumption against the imposition of life without parole sentences on youth, and that it is the prosecution’s burden to overcome this presumption by clear and convincing evidence when they seek such a sentence. 

LEGAL TEAM

Attorneys

Marsha Levick, Riya Saha Shah

Legal Fellows

Monica Disare

Paralegals

Tiffany Faith, Marissa Lariviere