Florida Supreme Court upholds death sentences by nonunanimous juries
Florida’s Supreme Court has upheld a controversial law allowing nonunanimous juries to impose death sentences. The decision lowers the threshold for capital punishment, requiring only an 8-4 jury recommendation—the weakest standard in the US. This move follows a 2023 ruling that first permitted split jury verdicts in death penalty cases.
The law was introduced after a jury’s unanimous decision spared the life of the Parkland school shooter, who killed 17 people in 2018. Legislators responded by removing the requirement for juries to agree fully on death sentences. Florida now joins Alabama as the only states permitting executions without a unanimous verdict.
The state has also expanded death penalty eligibility to include child rape, despite a 2008 US Supreme Court ban on such executions. Since the law’s passage, Florida has carried out 18 executions in 2025 alone, with another scheduled on the same day as the court’s ruling.
The ruling reinforces Florida’s position as an outlier in capital punishment standards. With nonunanimous juries now allowed, more defendants could face execution under a lower threshold. The decision also conflicts with federal precedent on child rape cases, setting up potential legal challenges ahead.
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