Butler Snow attorneys Beau Creson, Alexa Ortiz Hadley and Robert McLeod have filed an amicus brief with the Tennessee Supreme Court in support of Tyshon Booker, a 16-year-old convicted of felony murder who received a life sentence for his crime under a Tennessee sentencing statute that prohibited consideration of his age, maturity or other developmental characteristics. The brief was filed in support of Booker’s challenge to the constitutionality of Tennessee’s sentencing scheme for juvenile offenders and focuses on the research and studies that tend to show juvenile offenders should be treated differently from adults for the purposes of sentencing based on scientifically proven differences in their psychology.
The attorneys worked with our amicus-supporting client Dr. Julie Gallagher, a forensic psychologist who specializes in juvenile justice work.