Wisconsin Supreme Court poised to broaden children’s rights in gruesome matricide case

The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday over whether the state's reverse waiver statute unconstitutionally denies due process to child defendants, in the case of Noah Mann-Tate, who was 10 when he shot his mother after she refused to buy him a virtual reality headset. He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, which automatically falls under adult court jurisdiction.

A circuit court found Mann-Tate failed to prove he wouldn't get needed treatment in the adult system or that juvenile transfer wouldn't diminish the offense's severity, denying his request to move to juvenile court. An appeals court reversed, ruling the statute unconstitutional for failing to account for the “unique attributes of youth.”

Justices struggled over how any judge could assess what treatment a 10-year-old might need years later, while the state argued the law already permits age to be considered and that unfairness in one case doesn't make the statute unconstitutional overall. The case appeared headed toward a remand instructing lower courts to weigh the defendant's age more explicitly.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.