Atlanta
A judge this week threw out the 10-year prison sentence of a man convicted of having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 17. Genarlow Wilson, now 21, has already served 27 months of a sentence that critics, including former President Jimmy Carter, called wildly disproportionate to the offense. Georgia lawmakers have since changed the law, but the new statute did not apply to Wilson’s case. The judge called Wilson’s sentence “cruel and unusual” and said he had served enough time. “I just feel like a miracle happened,” said Wilson’s mother. But prosecutors said they would appeal, and Wilson may have to remain in custody until the appeal is heard.
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