Emergency application · Capital case
New evidence before execution
Michael Bell v. Florida
What did the Court do?
The Court denied the request on July 15, 2025 and refused to halt the execution.
Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case.
What's being asked
Michael Bell, a Florida death-row prisoner, asks the Supreme Court to pause his execution, scheduled for July 15, 2025. He also asks the Court to review the Florida Supreme Court's denial of relief. Bell says two trial witnesses recanted and withheld evidence of police and prosecutorial misconduct casts doubt on his guilt and death sentence. He further alleges Florida pressured witnesses at a hearing, causing them to change their testimony.
What the Court did
The Court refused to pause Bell's execution and denied his application for a stay (a temporary pause). It also denied his petition for certiorari (refused to hear his case), without deciding the claims underlying his conviction. The Court did not publish how the justices voted.
What it means
The requested stay would have paused the execution temporarily; the Court's action does not decide whether Bell's claims are true. The Florida Supreme Court's denial of relief remains in place. No related merits case is listed, and the application was not set for argument.
Sources
Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 25A45. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.