Summary
The Supreme Court denied certiorari in this Florida capital case. Justice Sotomayor dissented, reiterating her view that the Florida Supreme Court had failed to address an Eighth Amendment claim under *Caldwell v. Mississippi* (1985), which prohibits jury instructions that diminish jurors’ sense of responsibility in capital sentencing. The denial left unresolved whether the jury instructions in Kaczmar’s case violated *Caldwell*.
Topics
Practice areas
Questions Presented
- Whether the jury instructions in Kaczmar's case impermissibly diminished the jurors' sense of responsibility as to the ultimate determination of death, in violation of Caldwell v. Mississippi, 472 U.S. 320 (1985).
Key quotations
“I have thrice dissented from this Court’s unwillingness to intervene in the face of the Florida Supreme Court’s failure to address this important question.” (1)
“The resulting opinion, however, gathered the support only of a plurality, so the issue remains without definitive resolution by the Florida Supreme Court.” (1)
Factual background
Kaczmar was sentenced to death in Florida. He argued that the jury instructions impermissibly diminished the jurors' sense of responsibility regarding the death determination, in violation of Caldwell v. Mississippi. The Florida Supreme Court did not address this claim on direct appeal or in post-conviction proceedings.
Procedural history
Kaczmar, a capital defendant in Florida, raised an Eighth Amendment Caldwell claim that the Florida Supreme Court failed to address. The Florida Supreme Court had previously considered the case and either denied relief or did not address the claim. The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari.