Supreme Court Report

Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →

Utah v. Morris Thomas Mullins

Paid petition · Supreme Court of Utah, No. 20200149 · judgment November 20, 2025


1%
estimated cert probability
(petition-stage, structural)
Conference-stage estimate: 3%
GVR risk 0%

Well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Question presented

Whether a sentencing court can impose a sentence of life without parole on a juvenile murderer even if the court finds that the juvenile is not permanently incorrigible or at least suggests that the juvenile is capable of change and reform.

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Stanford Edward Purser
Utah Attorney General's Office

For respondent
Benjamin C. McMurray
Federal Public Defender, District of Utah

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Proceedings

  1. Aug 25 2026
    Reply of petitioner Utah filed. (Distributed)
  2. Jul 08 2026
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2026.
  3. Jun 22 2026
    Motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed by respondent Morris T. Mullins.
  4. Jun 22 2026
    Brief of respondent Morris T. Mullins in opposition filed.
  5. Apr 20 2026
    Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including June 22, 2026.
  6. Apr 16 2026
    Motion to extend the time to file a response from April 23, 2026 to June 22, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
  7. Mar 05 2026
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due April 23, 2026)