Death penalty procedures
Beasley v. Florida
In brief
- Where it stands
- Dismissed
Application (26A405) for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice Thomas and by him referred to the Court is denied. The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied.
- What it’s about
- Beasley argued that Florida’s 35-day period between signing an execution warrant and the scheduled execution, its constitutional conformity clause, his jury’s lack of unanimous sentencing findings, and the governor’s warrant-selection process violated his rights.
- Who it affects
- Beasley received neither Supreme Court review nor a pause in his execution; the Court left his constitutional claims undecided.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.

What it's about
The Court refused to hear his case (denied review) and refused a temporary pause (stay) of the execution, without deciding his claims.
The Florida Supreme Court had said Florida's conformity clause barred it from considering Beasley's Eighth Amendment claim.
Question presented
1. Whether, when a death warrant is signed for an individual’s execution, a 35 day time period between the signing of the death warrant and the scheduled execution is unreasonably short and in violation of the individual’s Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendment rights as applied in the instant case? 2. Whether the Florida Constitution’s “conformity clause,” which the Florida Supreme Court found acted to bar the court from considering an Eighth Amendment claim of the Petitioner, is unconstitutional because it prohibits the Florida Supreme Court from considering any Eighth Amendment claim that this Court has not specifically addressed? 3. Whether the execution of the Petitioner would violate the Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments when the jury failed to make any unanimous findings in its sentencing verdict? 4. Whether Florida’s death warrant selection and signing protocol, which provides the Governor with unfettered discretion to choose any condemned inmate for execution at will, for any reason or for no reason at all, results in the arbitrary and capricious implementation of the death penalty in violation of the proscription against cruel and unusual punishment set forth in the Eighth Amendment and/or the right to due process of law set forth in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments?
Documents
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
AI analysis generated: Decision Record
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
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Brief added: Petition
Court Order added: Lower Court Orders/Opinions
More questions
- What did Beasley say was wrong with the execution timing?
- He argued that 35 days between signing the death warrant and the scheduled execution was too short and violated his rights.
- What did Beasley argue about his jury's sentencing verdict?
- He said the jury made no unanimous findings in its sentencing verdict.
- What did Beasley challenge about Florida's warrant process?
- He argued that the governor could choose condemned inmates for execution without limits, making the process arbitrary.
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.