LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In a 5-2 decision, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole for 19 and 20-year olds convicted of first-degree murder are unconstitutional.

The court ruling said those sentences violate the Michigan Constitution’s prohibition against “cruel or unusual punishment.”

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Justice Elizabeth Welch wrote in the majority decision that “Mandatorily condemning such offenders to die in prison, without first considering the attributes of youth that late adolescents and juveniles share, no longer comports with the ‘evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society.” She continued by writing, “We do not foreclose the possibility that LWOP [life without the possibility of parole] could be an appropriate punishment under rare circumstances.”

In a separate opinion, Justice Richard Bernstein wrote he would draw the line at 25 years old, citing scientific students.

State Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Springport), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, called the ruling “outrageous” and a “slap in the face” to the victims and their families. “The idea that 19- and 20-year-olds are somehow incapable of understanding right from wrong is insulting to victims, their families, and our justice system. These are not kids. These are legal adults who made conscious, horrific decisions to take innocent lives, and they should be held fully accountable,” Rep. Lightner said.