Justia Florida Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and related crimes. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death for the murders. Defendant later filed a motion to vacate his conviction and sentence. The circuit court treated Defendant’s filing as an initial motion pursuant to Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.851 and summarily denied all of his claims for postconviction relief. Defendant appealed the denial of his motion and, in addition, petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of habeas corpus. The Supreme Court (1) affirmed the circuit court’s summary denial of relief, holding that while Defendant’s claims of trial court error were insufficiently pleaded and without merit, it was necessary to address the unusual procedure employed for jury selection in Defendant’s trial; and (2) denied the petition for writ of habeas corpus, holding that appellate counsel was not ineffective during Defendant’s direct appeal. View "Hojan v. State" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Debra Pearce. Pearce was stabbed in her kitchen in 2004. The murder remained unsolved until 2008 when DNA from a hair found on Pearce’s body and a fingerprint found in blood on the sink above Pearce’s body were both matched to Defendant. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the challenges Defendant raised with respect to the identification and timing of the sink fingerprint, the hair, and his participation in the murder were issues that were properly presented to and decided by the jury; (2) Defendant’s claim that the evidence was insufficient to establish that he was an active participant in the murder was not preserved for appeal; (3) the State presented sufficient evidence to support the jury finding of premeditation; (4) any error in the prosecutor’s closing statements was not fundamental; (5) the especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel aggravating circumstance was properly applied; (6) the death sentence was proportionate in this case; and (7) the Court declines to revisit the decisions holding that Florida’s capital sentencing scheme does not violate the federal Constitution under Ring v. Arizona or Apprendi v. New Jersey. View "Jackson v. State" on Justia Law

After an adjudicatory hearing, the trial court entered judgment terminating Mother’s parental rights to her child. Mother appealed, alleging ten claims of ineffective assistance of counsel regarding her counsel’s performance in the termination of parental rights (TPR) proceedings. The district court of appeal applied the Washington v. Strickland standard to Mother’s ineffective assistance of counsel claims and affirmed the order terminating Mother’s parental rights. The district court subsequently certified two questions regarding the right to effective counsel in TPR proceedings and vindication of that right. In its opinion, the Supreme Court established the appropriate standard for determining whether counsel provided constitutionally ineffective assistance in termination of parental rights proceedings and directing the development of rules providing the procedure for vindicating a parent’s constitutional right to the effective assistance of counsel in TPR proceedings. The Court then affirmed in this case, holding that Mother failed to present any basis for setting aside the order terminating her parental rights. View "J.B. v. Fla. Dep’t of Children & Families" on Justia Law

Defendant in this criminal case was represented by an attorney who also represented Defendant’s codefendant. At issue on appeal was whether Defendant’s “waiver of the right to conflict-free trial counsel was invalid.” The district court of appeal reversed Defendant’s conviction, concluding that the trial court failed to conduct a sufficient inquiry when Defendant consented to his attorney representing both him and his codefendant and that the error was not harmless. The State appealed, arguing that a waiver of the right to conflict-free counsel is only required when there is an actual conflict of interest and that an attorney’s representation of two or more codefendants does not necessarily create an actual conflict of interest. The Supreme Court quashed the decision of the district court of appeal and remanded the case with directions that Defendant’s conviction be affirmed, holding (1) some adverse or detrimental effect on the representation is required in order to establish an actual conflict of interest; and (2) because there was no finding of an actual conflict of interest in this case, there was no need for a waiver. View "State v. Alexis" on Justia Law

Fla. Stat. 776.032, the “Stand Your Ground” law, provides immunity from prosecution when a defendant has used force as permitted by Fla. Stat. 776.012, 776.013, or 776.031. Defendant in this case was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm. Defendant filed a motion to dismiss, claiming immunity from prosecution under the Stand Your Ground law and sought a pretrial evidentiary hearing on his motion to dismiss. The trial court ultimately denied the motion to dismiss. Defendant subsequently filed a writ of prohibition in the Fifth District Court of Appeal. The Fifth District ruled (1) the defendant has the burden of proving at the pretrial evidentiary hearing that he is entitled to Stand Your Ground immunity, and (2) Defendant was not entitled to such immunity in this case. The Supreme Court approved the Fifth District’s opinion, holding that the Fifth District correctly determined that the defendant bears the burden of proof, by a preponderance of the evidence, to demonstrate the defendant’s entitlement to immunity at the pretrial evidentiary hearing under the Stand Your Ground law. View "Bretherick v. State" on Justia Law

Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and death sentence, holding (1) the trial court did not err in denying Defendant’s motion for judgment of acquittal because there was competent, substantial evidence to support Defendant’s conviction; (2) the trial court did not err in denying a motion for mistrial after a witness marginally referenced another investigation that was occurring in a different jurisdiction; (3) the trial court did not err in permitting an inmate to testify as to the threat that Defendant made to a witness through the inmate; (4) the trial court did not err in denying Defendant’s motion for a continuance; (5) the trial court did not err in finding that the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel; (6) the trial court did not err in rejecting two proposed statutory mitigators; and (7) the sentence of death was proportional in this case. View "Smith v. State" on Justia Law

Appellant pled guilty to first-degree murder. The trial court imposed a death sentence after weighing the aggravating circumstances against the mitigating circumstances. The Supreme Court affirmed Appellant’s conviction for first-degree murder and his sentence of death, holding (1) Appellant’s guilty plea was knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily entered; (2) the trial court did not err in instructing the jury on the especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel aggravator; (3) the trial court did not err in permitting Appellant, who was proceeding pro se, to elicit testimony pertaining to his future dangerousness; (4) the trial court did not commit fundamental error in permitting the medical examiner to testify in a manner that implicated the Golden Rule; and (5) the sentence of death was proportionate in this case. View "Doty v. State" on Justia Law

A trial court found that the Legislature’s 2012 congressional redistricting plan was drawn in violation of the Florida Constitutional’s prohibition on partisan intent because Florida’s twenty-seven congressional districts were apportioned in such a way as to favor the Republican Party and incumbent lawmakers. The Supreme Court (1) affirmed the trial court’s finding that the Legislature’s enacted map was tainted by unconstitutional intent; but (2) reversed the trial court’s order upholding the Legislature’s remedial redistricting plan, as the court failed to give proper legal effect to its determination that the Fair Districts Amendment was violated. Remanded to the trial court with directions that it require the Legislature to redraw certain congressional districts pursuant to the guidelines set forth in this opinion. View "League of Women Voters of Fla. v. Detzner" on Justia Law

Appellant was convicted of the 2002 first-degree murders of three individuals. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death for two of the murders and to life imprisonment for the third murder. The Supreme Court affirmed the convictions and sentences. This appeal concerned Appellant’s initial postconviction motion in which he asserted that his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to call experts to testify as to mental health mitigation at trial or at the subsequent Spencer hearing and in failing to move for a change of venue. The circuit court denied postconviction relief. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) Appellant failed to establish ineffective assistance of counsel as to his first claim; and (2) the circuit court correctly denied Appellant’s second claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. View "Carter v. State" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of sexual battery. On appeal, Defendant argued, among other things, that the trial court erred when it granted the State’s request for a special jury instruction informing the jury that a sexual battery victim’s testimony need not be corroborated. The court of appeal affirmed, concluding that the trial court erred in giving the instruction but that the error was harmless. The Supreme Court quashed the decision of the court of appeal and remanded for a new trial, holding (1) the statement of law that the testimony of the victim need not be corroborated is not a proper jury instruction; and (2) the error in giving the instruction was not harmless in this case. View "Gutierrez v. State" on Justia Law