No. 19-7772October Term 2019Decided Apr 27, 2020Updated Sep 3, 2026
Barron v. Inch
The Court declined review, leaving the lower-court result in place without deciding the constitutional questions.
Case status
Decided · April 27, 2020
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- What it's about
The Court denied Barron’s petition for review, leaving in place the Eleventh Circuit’s denial of a certificate of appealability. Barron had argued that due process was violated when a single appellate judge denied him a certificate of appealability despite a district judge’s view that his ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim had merit.
Question presented
1. Whether the Florida Supreme Court’s decision in Asay v. State, 210 So. 3d 1 (Fla. 2016), which held that Hurst v. Florida, 136 S. Ct. 616 (2016), does not apply retroactively to cases that were final before Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584 (2002), violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. 2. Whether the Florida Supreme Court’s refusal to apply Hurst retroactively to all death-sentenced defendants violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit / Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Decision
What the Court decided
The Court declined review, leaving the lower-court result in place without deciding the constitutional questions.
Impact
The denial left the Eleventh Circuit's result in place. For example, a Florida prisoner seeking to use Hurst to challenge an older death sentence did not gain a new Supreme Court decision supporting that claim.
Not official Court text.
Briefing
What it's about
The Supreme Court declined to review Barron v. Inch. It did not decide the merits of the questions about whether Hurst v. Florida should apply retroactively in certain Florida death-penalty cases.
Impact
The denial left the Eleventh Circuit's result in place. For example, a Florida prisoner seeking to use Hurst to challenge an older death sentence did not gain a new Supreme Court decision supporting that claim.
What's next
The Supreme Court has finished its action on this petition. Any further effort would have to proceed outside this Supreme Court case.
What did the Supreme Court do in Barron v. Inch?
The Court declined to review the case. It did not decide whether Hurst applies retroactively to the Florida cases described in the petition.
Who is affected by the decision in Barron v. Inch?
People seeking to challenge older Florida death sentences under Hurst may be affected. The Court's action left the Eleventh Circuit's result unchanged.
What happens next in Barron v. Inch?
The Supreme Court's action on this petition is complete. Further proceedings, if any, would occur outside this case.
Timing
Decided April 27, 2020
The Court released its decision on April 27, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
Activity
Docket activity2
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Sep 3, 2026 | Generated
Brief added: Petition
Feb 20, 2020 | Court records
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Sep 3, 2026
- Method
- Methodology