Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaMarch 7, 2016

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Gov. Rick Scott has signed into law a measure that overhauls Florida’s death penalty by requiring that at least 10 out of 12 jurors recommend an execution for it to be ordered. Scott approved the bill (HB 7101) on Monday, according to a statement from his office. Florida previously only required that a majority of jurors […]

Gary FineoutMarch 4, 2016

With executions halted and the prosecution of some murder cases in limbo, the Florida Legislature overhauled the state’s death penalty law Thursday in response to a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that the current sentencing law is unconstitutional. Legislators sent to Gov. Rick Scott a bill that would require that at least 10 out […]

Associated PressMarch 2, 2016

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Florida’s high court has delayed the execution of a convicted killer while lawmakers determine how to change the state’s death penalty sentencing system to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found it unconstitutional. The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the March 17 execution of Mark Asay, a Jacksonville man sentenced to death […]

Associated PressMarch 2, 2016

A sharply divided Florida Senate is rejecting a proposal to require a unanimous jury recommendation in death penalty cases. The Senate voted twice Wednesday on whether to require all 12 jurors to agree on death sentences. The proposal was rejected by votes of 22-18 and 23-17. Florida doesn’t require unanimous jury recommendations. But the Legislature […]

Julie DelegalFebruary 25, 2016

The Florida Senate has the chance to repair the state’s death penalty statutes in a way that won’t invite years of litigation. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court declared Florida’s death penalty procedures unconstitutional. Until the Legislature acts, the state’s prosecutors have no legal avenue for pursuing death penalty cases. House Bill 7101 is a […]

Julie DelegalFebruary 24, 2016

The Florida Senate has the chance to repair the state’s death penalty statutes in a way that won’t invite years of litigation. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court declared Florida’s death penalty procedures unconstitutional. Until the Legislature acts, the state’s prosecutors have no legal avenue for pursuing death penalty cases. House Bill 7101 is a […]

Bill RuftyFebruary 24, 2016

In 1949, an educator applied to the University of Florida Law School and was turned down. The applicant, Virgil Hawkins, was black. The law school and the court system in Florida were white and racist. The application began a nine-year fight going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled for Hawkins. That […]

Martin DyckmanFebruary 23, 2016

Legislation that the Florida House of Representatives approved last week cures what the U.S. Supreme Court specifically found wrong with Florida’s death penalty, but Rick Scott shouldn’t plan on signing any more death warrants soon, if ever. Six large questions linger. Will the Supreme Court uphold it? The court did not say, in “Hurst v. […]

Bob SparksFebruary 19, 2016

The already heated political rhetoric about replacing the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court is a sad spectacle. It is unseemly. Some shared their relief that Scalia was dead via social media. Most showed far more class. Before Scalia’s body had even left the morgue in Texas, the politics of replacing him […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 17, 2016

The passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Feb. 3, has created an opportunity for both the executive and legislative branches to work together. If they can’t, American politics will face a crisis of enormous magnitude. That is how serious the situation has become. Whether liberal or conservative, most agree that Scalia was a […]

Tag: U.S. Supreme Court
Golf ball and golf club in bag on green grass

Rick Scott signs death penalty overhaul into law

Florida overhauls death penalty in bid to resume executions

Execution delayed while lawmakers work to fix system

Florida Senate narrowly votes down death penalty change

Julie Delegal: Legislature’s death penalty “fix” is flawed

Julie Delegal: Legislature’s death penalty “fix” is flawed

Event to celebrate barrier broken and barrier breaker

Martin Dyckman: Lingering questions should end death penalty in Florida

Bob Sparks: Another Antonin Scalia is not in the cards, no matter who appoints justice

Darryl Paulson: The Antonin Scalia battle: The stakes have seldom been as high