Hurst v. Florida
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14-7505 | Fla. | Oct 13, 2015 | Jan 12, 0016 | 8-1 | Sotomayor | OT 2015 |
Holding: Florida's capital-sentencing scheme, in which a jury renders an "advisory sentence" but a judge must independently weigh the aggravating and mitigating factors before entering a sentence of life or death, violates the Sixth Amendment in light of the Court's decision in Ring v. Arizona, which deemed unconstitutional an Arizona capital sentencing scheme that permitted a judge rather than the jury to find the facts necessary to sentence a defendant to death.
Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 8-1, in an opinion by Justice Sotomayor on January 12, 0016. Justice Breyer filed an opinion concurring in the judgment. Justice Alito filed a dissenting opinion.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Opinion analysis: Juries control the death penalty (UPDATED) (Lyle Denniston, January 12, 2016)
- Argument analysis: Moral responsibility for death sentences (Lyle Denniston, October 13, 2015)
- Argument preview: Defining the jury's role on death penalty (Lyle Denniston, October 10, 2015)
- As the 2015 Term opens: The Court's unusual Eighth Amendment focus (Rory Little, September 21, 2015)
- Criminal law grants for the October Term 2015 (Rory Little, July 23, 2015)
- Court to rule on jury role in death sentencing (Lyle Denniston, March 9, 2015)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 12/03/2014 | Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due January 12, 2015) |
| 01/12/2015 | Brief of respondent Florida in opposition filed. |
| 01/29/2015 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of February 20, 2015. |
| 02/16/2015 | MANDATE ISSUED |
| 02/23/2015 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of February 27, 2015. |
| 03/02/2015 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of March 6, 2015. |
| 03/09/2015 | Motion to proceed in forma pauperis and petition for a writ of certiorari GRANTED limited to the following question: Whether Florida's death sentencing scheme violates the Sixth Amendment or the Eighth Amendment in light of this Court's decision in Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584 (2002). |
| 04/07/2015 | The time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits is extended to and including May 28, 2015. |
| 04/07/2015 | The time to file respondent's brief on the merits is extended to and including July 29, 2015. |
| 05/28/2015 | Joint appendix filed (3 volumes). (Statement of costs filed.) |
| 05/28/2015 | Brief of petitioner Timothy Lee Hurst filed. |
| 06/04/2015 | Brief amicus curiae of American Bar Association filed. |
| 06/04/2015 | Brief amici curiae of Former Justices of the Supreme Court of Florida filed. |
| 06/04/2015 | Brief amici curiae of Former Florida Circuit Court Judges filed. |
| 06/04/2015 | Brief amici curiae of American Civil Liberties Union, et al. filed. |
| 07/29/2015 | SET FOR ARGUMENT on Tuesday, October 13, 2015. |
| 07/29/2015 | Brief of respondent Florida filed. |
| 08/05/2015 | Brief amici curiae of Alabama and Montana filed. (Distributed) |
| 08/07/2015 | CIRCULATED. |
| 08/12/2015 | Record requested from the Supreme Court of Florida. |
| 08/25/2015 | Record received from the Supreme Court of Florida. 1 Box. |
| 08/28/2015 | Reply of petitioner Timothy Lee Hurst filed. (Distributed) |
| 10/13/2015 | Argued. For petitioner: Seth P. Waxman, Washington, D. C. For respondent: Allen Winsor, Solicitor General, Tallahassee, Fla. |
| 01/12/2016 | Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Sotomayor, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsburg, and Kagan, JJ., joined. Breyer, J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment. Alito, J., filed a dissenting opinion. |
| 02/16/2016 | JUDGMENT ISSUED |
| 02/16/2016 | MANDATE ISSUED |
| 02/22/2016 | Record returned to the Supreme Court of Florida. |