{"disclaimer":"This is a summary of public court records and is not legal advice. Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"james-hicklin-a/k/a-jessica-hicklin","displayName":"James Hicklin, a/k/a Jessica Hicklin","totalCases":1},"cases":[{"caseId":"mo:sc97692:2020-11-24","opinionId":"6370a802-a249-59a3-ac49-47125abe09a6","slug":"james-hicklin-aka-jessica-hicklin-appellant-v-eric-schmitt-et-al-responde-c97692","caseName":"James Hicklin, a/k/a Jessica Hicklin, Appellant, vs. Eric Schmitt, et al., Respondents.","caseNumber":"SC97692","court":"mo","courtLabel":"Supreme Court of Missouri","decisionDate":"2020-11-24","year":2020,"display_summary":"Jessica Hicklin, sentenced to life without parole as a juvenile for first-degree murder, challenged the constitutionality of her sentence and Missouri's legislative response to Miller v. Alabama and Montgomery v. Louisiana via a declaratory judgment action. The circuit court rejected her claims. The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed, holding that a declaratory judgment was the proper vehicle for challenging statutory validity, and that Missouri's scheme providing parole eligibility for Miller-impacted juveniles was constitutionally permissible and did not violate the separation of powers.","primaryTopic":"criminal-procedure","topicSlugs":["criminal-procedure","appellate-procedure","standard-of-review","governmental-immunity"],"outcomeNorm":"affirmed","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=169755","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/james-hicklin-aka-jessica-hicklin-appellant-v-eric-schmitt-et-al-responde-c97692","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"criminal-law","label":"Criminal Law","href":"/practice-areas/criminal-law","score":32,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: criminal-law","topic: criminal-procedure"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/criminal-law"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: appellate-procedure"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"}],"role":"appellant"}]}