- Republican lawmakers Wednesday filed proposals that seek to allow the death penalty for people who commit sexual battery on children under age 12.
- The proposals (SB 1342 and HB 1297), filed by Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, and Rep. Jessica Baker, R-Jacksonville, conflict with longstanding decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Florida Supreme Court that bar death sentences in such cases.
- The bills, filed for the legislative session that will start March 7, contend that a 2008 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in a case known as Kennedy v. Louisiana and a 1981 decision by the Florida Supreme Court a case known as Buford v. State were wrongly decided.
FL Republicans Propose Death Penalty In Child Rape Cases
Republican gubernatorial candidate for Florida Ron DeSantis speaks during an election night watch party at the Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, on November 8, 2022. - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been tipped as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, was projected as one of the early winners of the night in Tuesday's midterm election. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP) (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)
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