Juvenile Death Penalty Banned by U.S. Supreme Court

A divided U.S. Supreme Court outlawed executions of murderers who were under 18 at the time of the crime, saying the practice violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.The justices voted 5-4 in a Missouri case to bar a penalty that had been legal in 19 states. Today's ruling reversed a 1989 Supreme Court decision that had allowed executions of 16- and 17- year-old killers.