People of Michigan v. Andrew Michael Czarnecki

Summary

The Court held that mandatory life without parole for defendants who were 19 or 20 when they committed first-degree murder violates Michigan's constitutional prohibition against cruel or unusual punishment. Extending the protection previously recognized for 18-year-olds, the Court required individualized sentencing that considers youth-related mitigating factors and rehabilitation potential. The Court vacated both mandatory sentences and remanded for resentencing, while declining to overrule the precedent governing defendants who were at least 21.