No. 25-1184October Term 2025Dismissed
Angela W. DeBose, Petitioner v. Florida Polytechnic University Board of Trustees
In this dismissed certiorari petition, Angela DeBose challenged Florida court rulings in her civil case against the Florida Polytechnic University Board of Trustees.
Case status
- Current stage
- Dismissed
- Latest event
- Dismissed
- Decision timing
- No window until argument is scheduled.
- What it's about
In this dismissed certiorari petition, Angela DeBose challenged Florida court rulings in her civil case against the Florida Polytechnic University Board of Trustees. She argued that requiring her, as a self-represented litigant, to post a $1 million security bond and then affirming without explanation denied her due process, equal protection, and meaningful access to the courts.
Question presented
1. Whether the State of Florida violates the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment by imposing a prohibitive $1,000,000.00 security bond as a condition for a pro se litigant to maintain a civil action, thereby creating an insurmountable financial barrier to court access. See Boddie v. Connecticut, 401 U.S. 371 (1971). 2. Whether a state appellate system violates the Fourteenth Amendment when it utilizes unelaborated decisions to insulate potentially void lower court orders from meaningful judicial review, effectively creating a jurisdictional void for litigants. See Logan v. Zimmerman Brush Co., 455 U.S. 422 (1982).
- Case path
Supreme Court of Florida / Dismissed
- Area
Civil Rights
Briefing
What it's about
Angela W. DeBose has asked the Supreme Court to hear a challenge to Florida court actions in her civil case. Her petition says a $1,000,000 security bond blocked court access and that unelaborated appellate decisions prevented meaningful review.
Argument
This case is still at the petition stage, and oral argument has not been scheduled. The petition argues that a $1,000,000 bond and unelaborated appellate decisions violated due process and equal protection.
Impact
The case could affect people who represent themselves in civil cases and cannot pay very large bonds to keep a lawsuit going. It also raises whether short appellate decisions can leave litigants without a real chance to challenge lower-court orders.
What is Angela DeBose asking the Supreme Court to review?
She says Florida required a $1,000,000 security bond to keep her civil case alive. She also challenges unexplained appellate decisions that she says blocked meaningful review.
How could DeBose v. Florida Polytechnic affect self-represented litigants?
Self-represented people could be affected if large security bonds can block civil claims before a court reaches the merits. The case also matters to litigants who want meaningful appellate review of disputed lower-court orders.
What happens next in DeBose v. Florida Polytechnic?
The justices will decide whether to take the petition for certiorari. No oral argument date or decision window is available yet.
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
- Jul 23, 2026
- Method
- Methodology