In its second reversal of a major criminal-justice decision, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that juveniles can be sentenced to terms longer than 20 years in prison without the opportunity for early release.

The 4-1 decision stunned public defenders, who expressed concern not only about its implications for juvenile sentencing but also about a reshaped court emboldened to revisit issues the legal community had considered settled.

The ruling in the case of Linda Pedroza is rooted in two seminal U.S. Supreme Court decisions that found life sentences for juveniles violate Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment.