Home » Take Action » Become a Student Activist » Case of the Month Archives
Case of the Month December 2002: The Death Penalty System
In order to help bring a better understanding of the Bill of Rights in action, the ACLU of Florida website posts a Case of the Month. Several times a year, we highlight either a current case before the courts or current issues that affect civil liberties. In discussing the case, we hope to offer extensive learning materials, including lesson plans, teacher handouts, and balanced information on key legal issues, the attorneys, plaintiffs and defendants involved in the case, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) that may be of help to teachers and students alike.
For December, we have chosen to discuss the issue of the death penalty. In Florida, 24 exonerees have been released from Death Florida ? that's the highest of any other state in the nation. The cases of two of Florida's longest-serving death-row inmates have recently sparked new debate over the constitutionality of Florida's death penalty system. Gov. Jeb Bush set an execution date of Dec. 2 for Amos Lee King Jr. and Dec. 6 for Linroy Bottoson. Their cases, which call into question the legality of a system that allows judges, not juries, to sentence inmates to death, may be examined by the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Overview
- Lesson Plans
- Legal Issues
- Floridians for Alternatives to the DP
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Errors That Sent 100 Innocent People to Death Row
Special thanks to media intern Jennifer Cook for preparing the December 2002 Case of the Month.
