Children & the Law Blog

Lawyers have filed a certiorari petition with the U.S. Supreme Court in Pittman v. South Carolina, seeking review of the Constitutionality of Pittman’s sentence of 30 years without possibility of parole given that he was 12-years old at the time of the offense. Pittman’s trial was sensationalized by his age and his defense that his actions were caused by the effects of the recent switch from prescription drug Paxil to Zoloft, which he claimed induced hallucinations in which he was commanded to kill his grandparents.

Another notable aspect of the case, is the participation of a group of University of Texas law students, who filed the petition, along with other local lawyers, as part of that school’s Supreme Court clinic.

There’s a discussion started here on the Pittman v. South Carolina Topic on our Discussion Forum.

• University of Texas Law School: Law School Clinic Asks U.S. Supreme Court To Hear Major Juvenile Justice Case
• University of Texas Law School: Download the U.S. Supreme Court Certiorari Petition and appendix documents
• SCOTUSBlog: Long sentence for juvenile challenged
• Controversy Over Giving Teen Killers the Possibility of Parole?
• NY Times: Lifers as Teenagers, Now Seeking Second Chance
• Sentencing Law & Policy Blog: Evolving images of a killer and the evolving Eighth Amendment
• National Law Journal: Law school clinic asks high court to hear case of juvenile who killed at age 12