Harrisburg – July 23, 2026 – On March 26, 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found mandatory life sentences for people convicted of second-degree murder unconstitutional. The court’s landmark ruling was then put on hold, giving the Pennsylvania General Assembly 120 days to change the unconstitutional law and provide an alternative remedy for more than 1,100 incarcerated people who had been harshly or unjustly sentenced.
The legislator has no time left, and the deadline set by the Tribunal expires on Friday, July 24.
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-43, Allegheny) AND Senator Amanda M. Cappelletti, Democratic Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee (D-17, Delaware/Montgomery)issued the following statement:
“The Tribunal’s ruling regarding Commonwealth v Lee gave the state legislature a historic opportunity to right long-standing injustices. Pennsylvania is one of only four states that provides life in prison without the possibility of parole for people convicted of second-degree murder. Such judgments do not take into account whether the actor intended to take his life when committing the crime. They also do not take into account the degree of their involvement in the crime. Essentially, the way Pennsylvania sentenced people convicted of murder was often disproportionate to the crimes committed and considered “cruel punishment” under the Pennsylvania Constitution.
“Legislator he knew regarding the July 24 deadline for considering the Tribunal’s ruling. Instead of taking action to ensure a fair resolution for incarcerated Pennsylvanians serving these sentences, Pennsylvania Senate Republicans have spent the last 120 days spreading misinformation about the public safety importance of this ruling while refusing to cooperate.
“While Republican senators are content to perpetuate the false lie that more than 1,100 people serving these sentences will be released from prison on July 24, the truth is that if the Legislature fails to act, the actual expected result will be injuries. years process. It is likely that many inmates affected by this ruling could still receive life sentences. The verdicts require the full utilize of our court system, which will severely burden our public defenders and prosecutors and lead to inconsistent results across the state.
“It is also true that Senate Republicans claimed they were taking action by enactment Senate Bill 1400 in June. However, Republican senators not only proceeded without feedback, they also avoided participating in ongoing conversations among stakeholders as they worked to develop a comprehensive solution. Instead of acting in a bipartisan manner, they circulated the proposed legislation less than 24 hours before the Senate Judiciary Committee voted, without any input from interested parties or Democrats, in order to force a perfunctory resolution in the House. In our divided legislature, when bipartisan consensus is necessary, these performative measures are unacceptable.
“A real solution to this issue would be to provide an appropriate sentence for second-degree murder that is appropriate under Pennsylvania’s current sentencing guidelines and proportionate to the role the actor played in the crime, the possibility of parole for those currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for murder after serving the minimum number of years, and a process to ensure that a judge will reach a guilty verdict if a life sentence without parole is imposed.
“Together with our Senate Democratic colleagues, we look forward to passing collaborative, comprehensive and meaningful legislation that actually delivers justice.”
Read more at the Abolitionist Law Center about Commonwealth v. Lee.
Read the letter to the Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission from Senators Costa and Cappelletti.
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