160:
Delaware enacted an override statute in
November 1991 after a jury had given four perpetrators life sentences for murdering two guards during an armed robbery. The life-to-death override was used on only one defendant, whose sentence was appealed and ultimately changed to a life verdict. Instead, the
89:
stated that for a judge to override a jury's recommendation of a life sentence, "the facts suggesting a sentence of death should be so clear and convincing that virtually no reasonable person could differ." The U.S. Supreme Court upheld
Florida's statute in 1984. The last death sentence imposed by
112:
held that the override was permitted only when "virtually no reasonable person could disagree that death was appropriate". All ten death sentences imposed by override in
Indiana were later vacated in appellate courts. In 2002, the override was abolished, and the courts were left with an option to
62:
Researchers who analyzed survey data from thousands of capital jurors found that "residual doubt" about the person's guilt was the most significant reason jurors voted for a life sentence instead of the death penalty. This could suggest that life-to-death overrides have a higher likelihood of
121:
In
Alabama, judges had no restrictions on when they could override a jury's recommendation of a life sentence. Judicial overrides amounted to more than 20 percent of all death sentences between 1981 and 2015 (101 out of 413), and half of exonerations due to innocence (3 out of 6).
99:. The Court held that "The Sixth Amendment requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death. A jury's mere recommendation is not enough." In March 2016, the state legislature abolished the judicial override.
107:
Indiana followed
Florida in 1977 and enacted a similar death penalty scheme in which the jury's sentence recommendation was not binding. There were no directions on when the judge could override the jury's life sentence until 1989, when the
148:
dissented in the 2013 decision to decline to rehear the issue. Justice
Sotomayor suggested that the elected nature of Alabama's judges is the underlying issue, with a study showing that death sentences are imposed more in election years.
438:
133:"does not require the State to define the weight the sentencing judge must give to an advisory jury verdict". The Court had been asked to impose Florida's "great weight" standard on Alabama, but
59:. Indiana abolished it in 2002, Florida in 2016, and Alabama in 2017. In 2016, the Delaware Supreme Court declared the state's death penalty law unconstitutional due to the override.
140:
said that doing so would amount to micromanagement. The
Supreme Court declined to take up a case reviewing Alabama's use of judicial overrides in 2013 and again in 2015. Justices
134:
448:
130:
169:
631:
81:
had effectively invalidated all death penalty statutes in the country. The purpose of the override was to prevent juries from over-sentencing the death penalty. In
277:
518:
205:
195:
545:
200:
190:
185:
228:
126:
255:
416:
408:
574:
235:
86:
409:"Overriding jury sentencing recommendations in Florida capital cases: An update and possible half-requiem"
165:
137:
332:
109:
356:
152:
In April 2017, the
Alabama legislature passed a bill that abolished judicial override prospectively.
93:
In
January 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a part of Florida's capital sentencing scheme in
553:
546:"U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear death row inmates' appeals in Auburn and Franklin County cases"
523:
491:
307:
77:
439:"Justice Sotomayor: Alabama Judges' Death Penalty Sentencing Is Tainted By Election Politics"
95:
601:
173:
145:
469:
496:
380:
161:
override was used multiple times to override a death sentence recommended by the jury.
141:
625:
443:
168:
held that the judicial override made the state's death penalty statute violate the
71:
Florida was the first state to adopt an override statute in the 1970s, after the
20:
575:"In states with elected high court judges, a harder line on capital punishment"
113:
determine the sentence only when the jury's recommendation was not unanimous.
24:
48:
579:
56:
52:
44:
72:
519:"Justices May Review Capital Cases in Which Judges Overrode Juries"
32:
278:"Top court: Delaware's death penalty law unconstitutional"
256:"Alabama Abolishes Judge Override in Death Penalty Cases"
43:
Only four U.S. states have allowed judicial overrides:
306:
Mulvaney, Patrick; Chamblee, Katherine (2016-08-08).
573:Levine, Dan; Cooke, Kristina (September 22, 2015).
602:"Gov. Kay Ivey signs jury override bill into law"
333:"Why Is the Death Penalty So Popular in Alabama?"
19:In the United States and other nations that use
229:"The Peath penalty in Alabama: Judge Override"
35:overrules a jury's sentencing determination.
8:
402:
400:
301:
299:
297:
632:Capital punishment in the United States
217:
258:. Equal Justice Initiative. 2017-04-04
490:Williams, Paige (November 10, 2014).
276:Reyes, Jessica Masulli (2016-08-02).
223:
221:
7:
472:. Supreme Court of the United States
437:Flatow, Nicole (November 20, 2013).
63:resulting in a wrongful conviction.
90:override in the state was in 1999.
16:Legal doctrine in the United States
14:
129:held in an 8–1 decision that the
385:Death Penalty Information Center
206:Judgment notwithstanding verdict
196:Capital punishment in Delaware
1:
544:Faulk, Kent (20 April 2015).
517:Liptak, Adam (9 March 2015).
331:Wheeling, Kate (2017-09-15).
201:Capital punishment in Indiana
191:Capital punishment in Florida
186:Capital punishment in Alabama
127:United States Supreme Court
648:
600:Faulk, Kent (2017-04-11).
417:Michigan State Law Review
308:"Innocence and Override"
236:Equal Justice Initiative
87:Supreme Court of Florida
312:Yale Law Journal Forum
166:Delaware Supreme Court
110:Indiana Supreme Court
407:Radelet, Michael L.
164:In August 2016, the
39:Use in capital cases
554:Alabama Media Group
470:"Harris v. Alabama"
138:Sandra Day O'Connor
577:. Uneven Justice.
524:The New York Times
381:"Hurst v. Florida"
492:"Double Jeopardy"
357:"Tedder v. State"
135:Associate Justice
78:Furman v. Georgia
29:judicial override
639:
616:
615:
613:
612:
597:
591:
590:
588:
587:
570:
564:
563:
561:
560:
541:
535:
534:
532:
531:
514:
508:
507:
505:
504:
487:
481:
480:
478:
477:
466:
460:
459:
457:
456:
447:. Archived from
434:
428:
427:
425:
424:
413:
404:
395:
394:
392:
391:
377:
371:
370:
368:
367:
353:
347:
346:
344:
343:
337:Pacific Standard
328:
322:
321:
319:
318:
303:
292:
291:
289:
288:
273:
267:
266:
264:
263:
252:
246:
245:
243:
242:
233:
225:
131:Eighth Amendment
96:Hurst v. Florida
647:
646:
642:
641:
640:
638:
637:
636:
622:
621:
620:
619:
610:
608:
599:
598:
594:
585:
583:
572:
571:
567:
558:
556:
543:
542:
538:
529:
527:
516:
515:
511:
502:
500:
489:
488:
484:
475:
473:
468:
467:
463:
454:
452:
436:
435:
431:
422:
420:
411:
406:
405:
398:
389:
387:
379:
378:
374:
365:
363:
355:
354:
350:
341:
339:
330:
329:
325:
316:
314:
305:
304:
295:
286:
284:
282:Delaware Online
275:
274:
270:
261:
259:
254:
253:
249:
240:
238:
231:
227:
226:
219:
214:
182:
174:US Constitution
170:Sixth Amendment
158:
146:Sonia Sotomayor
119:
105:
83:Tedder v. State
69:
41:
17:
12:
11:
5:
645:
643:
635:
634:
624:
623:
618:
617:
592:
565:
536:
509:
497:The New Yorker
482:
461:
429:
396:
372:
348:
323:
293:
268:
247:
216:
215:
213:
210:
209:
208:
203:
198:
193:
188:
181:
178:
157:
154:
142:Stephen Breyer
118:
115:
104:
101:
68:
65:
40:
37:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
644:
633:
630:
629:
627:
607:
603:
596:
593:
582:
581:
576:
569:
566:
555:
551:
547:
540:
537:
526:
525:
520:
513:
510:
499:
498:
493:
486:
483:
471:
465:
462:
451:on 2016-03-19
450:
446:
445:
444:ThinkProgress
440:
433:
430:
419:
418:
410:
403:
401:
397:
386:
382:
376:
373:
362:
358:
352:
349:
338:
334:
327:
324:
313:
309:
302:
300:
298:
294:
283:
279:
272:
269:
257:
251:
248:
237:
230:
224:
222:
218:
211:
207:
204:
202:
199:
197:
194:
192:
189:
187:
184:
183:
179:
177:
175:
171:
167:
162:
155:
153:
150:
147:
143:
139:
136:
132:
128:
125:In 1995, the
123:
116:
114:
111:
102:
100:
98:
97:
91:
88:
84:
80:
79:
74:
73:Supreme Court
66:
64:
60:
58:
54:
50:
46:
38:
36:
34:
30:
26:
22:
609:. Retrieved
605:
595:
584:. Retrieved
578:
568:
557:. Retrieved
549:
539:
528:. Retrieved
522:
512:
501:. Retrieved
495:
485:
474:. Retrieved
464:
453:. Retrieved
449:the original
442:
432:
421:. Retrieved
415:
388:. Retrieved
384:
375:
364:. Retrieved
360:
351:
340:. Retrieved
336:
326:
315:. Retrieved
311:
285:. Retrieved
281:
271:
260:. Retrieved
250:
239:. Retrieved
163:
159:
151:
124:
120:
106:
94:
92:
85:(1975), the
82:
76:
70:
61:
42:
28:
18:
21:jury trials
611:2020-01-05
586:2015-10-11
559:2015-10-11
530:2015-10-11
503:2015-10-11
476:2015-10-11
455:2015-10-11
423:2020-01-05
390:2020-01-05
366:2019-12-22
361:Justia Law
342:2019-12-21
317:2019-12-22
287:2017-11-23
262:2017-11-23
241:2019-12-21
212:References
31:is when a
25:Australia
23:(such as
626:Category
180:See also
156:Delaware
49:Delaware
580:Reuters
172:of the
117:Alabama
103:Indiana
67:Florida
57:Indiana
53:Florida
45:Alabama
606:AL.com
550:AL.com
55:, and
412:(PDF)
232:(PDF)
75:case
33:judge
27:), a
144:and
628::
604:.
552:.
548:.
521:.
494:.
441:.
414:.
399:^
383:.
359:.
335:.
310:.
296:^
280:.
234:.
220:^
176:.
51:,
47:,
614:.
589:.
562:.
533:.
506:.
479:.
458:.
426:.
393:.
369:.
345:.
320:.
290:.
265:.
244:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.