In November of 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court decided State v. Booker which held that a mandatory life sentence for youth – one that required 51 years before parole eligibility – was unconstitutional. Approximately 200 individuals immediately became eligible to ask the Tennessee parole board to consider their release. These individuals, sentenced as teenagers, expected to be 70-years-old before (or never live to see) life outside of prison. All had served between 25-30 years in prison already. And while they would now be entitled to a parole hearing, they were not entitled to representation or the assistance of counsel. 

The University of Tennessee Legal Clinic was contacted by the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, a national nonprofit, and invited to help fill this legal gap. In January of 2023, the clinic represented its first Booker clients and currently three have been released.

Join us for a panel discussion, Life After Booker, moderator by Professor Kristina Kersey, to hear from:

• former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee, who decided and wrote the groundbreaking decision,
• Jonathan Harwell who argued on behalf of Mr. Booker,
• Tiffany Taylor, the first female released under Booker, and
• Hannah Jo Young, class of 2026, who was a student attorney for Tiffany Taylor.

This conversation will explore the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Booker decision, the parole process for youth sentenced to life, and how the clinic helped fight for the release of clients, like Tiffany.