Juvenile Court Cases Case Study

Introduction After analyzing dozens of proposed state amendments that have been a part of recent Florida elections, I began to notice patterns in the decisions and began studying the process. The amendment proposals I viewed had been passed, denied, and even overturned by the courts. First I viewed the debate and proposed 2014 amendment of medical marijuana in the Politics in Florida book (Ch. 2, Pg. 58). After, I viewed another 2014 amendment that was less debated upon, being the Water and Land Conservation (Ch. 9, Pg. 300). Lastly I took a slightly different approach in selecting the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, as this issue was heavily involved in the court system. Instead of analyzing the amendments themselves my goal was
Published on January 26, 2016. http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2016-01-26/juvenile-justice/scotus-offers-hope-for-juvenile-offenders-sentenced-to-life-in-prison/a50022-2

Summary: This past Monday a ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court from 2012 baring the immediate life sentences for juveniles. In the past this has been an issue in Florida, with one of the nationwide highest crime rates for those under the age of 18. Last year the Florida Supreme Court ruled unanimously that all juveniles convicted of homicide who received automatic life sentences must be resentenced under a state law passed in 2014. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday could have had an effect on the Florida Constitution was crucial news for anyone affected by this law.

Connection to this Module: This module contained a great deal of information overall and the section that pertains most to the topic would be, Amending the Constitution (Ch. 2, Pg. 54). Court ruling is a popular way to amend the Florida constitution because it is arguably less difficult than going through the other necessary processes. This article is a perfect example of the strong power the Florida courts have, along with the power the U.S. Supreme Court has on the