Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Michael H. Hunt v. Florida
Paid petition · Supreme Court of Florida, No. SC2024-0096 · judgment December 18, 2025
(petition-stage, structural)
Well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.
Questions presented
Under a Florida law enacted in 2023, a judge may impose the death penalty only if the jury first “determine[s] that the defendant should be sentenced to death.” Fla. Stat. § 921.141(2)(c). The questions presented are:
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Whether the Sixth or Eighth Amendment requires that jury determination to be unanimous, or whether it suffices—as provided in the statute—for only eight of the twelve jurors to vote for death.
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Whether the Ex Post Facto Clause forbids applying Florida’s nonunanimity rule retroactively to individuals whose crimes were committed when state law required such jury determinations to be unanimous.
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Jeffrey L. Fisher
Stanford Supreme Court Litigation Clinic
For respondent
Jeffrey Paul DeSousa
Florida Office of the Attorney General
Case
Subject area
Criminal Procedure (estimated from the questions presented, in the Supreme Court Database’s categories)
Conference history
—
Amicus briefs
1 cert-stage
Linked docket
25A1210
Proceedings
- Oct 15 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including October 30, 2026.
- Oct 14 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from October 16, 2026 to October 30, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Sep 11 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including October 16, 2026.
- Sep 10 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from September 16, 2026 to October 16, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Aug 14 2026Brief amici curiae of Legal Scholars and Historians filed. VIDED.
- Aug 12 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including September 16, 2026.
- Aug 10 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from August 17, 2026 to September 16, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Jul 14 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due August 17, 2026)
- Jun 17 2026Application (25A1210) granted by Justice Thomas extending the time to file until July 21, 2026.
- Jun 12 2026Application (25A1210) to extend further the time from July 6, 2026 to July 21, 2026, submitted to Justice Thomas.
- May 05 2026Application (25A1210) granted by Justice Thomas extending the time to file until July 6, 2026.
- Apr 29 2026Application (25A1210) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from June 3, 2026 to August 2, 2026, submitted to Justice Thomas.