Bill > S1740

This Joint Resolution proposes an amendment to the Florida State Constitution that would restrict how courts can handle appeals and reviews after a conviction and death sentence in capital cases. Currently, the Supreme Court has the authority to create rules for all court procedures, including these postconviction reviews, which are also known as collateral reviews. This resolution aims to transfer that authority to the Legislature, meaning that any future rules or procedures for reviewing death penalty cases after the initial appeal would have to be established through "general law," which is a law passed by the Legislature. The amendment specifies that these reviews will be governed "exclusively by, and to the extent provided by, general law" and would take effect on July 1, 2015, applying to cases where the conviction and death sentence were upheld on direct appeal on or after that date.