The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Thursday that a convicted felon with a record of reckless aggravated assault was sentenced too harshly in a later conviction.

Justice Clarence Thomas was the swing vote in favor of the opinion, which could have implications for criminal sentencing.

Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and a fellow at the Yale Law School.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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