Latest news with #FloridaSupremeCourt
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, with 3 set to die over next month
TALLAHASSEE, Florida: There are three executions set to take place in Florida over the next month, including a man convicted of fatally shooting three people and wounding another person, under a death warrant signed Tuesday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Curtis Windom, 59, is set to die by lethal injection Aug. 28 in the state with the highest number of executions this year. Experts say an uptick in executions around the country can be traced to aggressive Republican governors and attorney generals pushing to get through lengthy appeals processes and get executions done. Also, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on his first day back in office to urge prosecutors to seek the death penalty, which may have also fueled the increase, according to John Blume, the director of the Cornell Death Penalty Project. Windom is scheduled to be killed at Florida State Prison near the city of Starke. He was convicted in 1992 and sentenced to death for the murders of Johnnie Lee, Valerie Davis and Mary Lubin. Eight other executions have taken place in Florida this year, with a ninth scheduled for Thursday and a 10th scheduled for Aug. 19, all by lethal injection. Edward J. Zakrzewski, II, was convicted of killing his wife and two children in 1994 after she sought a divorce, and Kayle Bates was convicted of killing a woman after abducting her from an insurance office in 1982. According to court documents, Windom bought a .38-caliber revolver and ammunition in the Orlando area on Feb. 7, 1992. He then tracked down Lee and shot him multiple times over what Windom claimed was a $2,000 debt. Windom then went to the apartment of Davis, with whom he shared a child, and shot her, officials said. Windom shot another man, who survived, while fleeing the apartment. Davis' mother, Lubin, was driving home when Windom spotted her and shot her at a stop sign. The Florida Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court will hear final appeals before the execution. After Florida, Texas and South Carolina are tied for the highest number of executions, with four each this year. Alabama has executed three people, Oklahoma has killed two, and Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee each have killed one person.
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, with 3 set to die over next month
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — There are three executions set to take place in Florida over the next month, including a man convicted of fatally shooting three people and wounding another person, under a death warrant signed Tuesday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Curtis Windom, 59, is set to die by lethal injection Aug. 28 in the state with the highest number of executions this year. Experts say an uptick in executions around the country can be traced to aggressive Republican governors and attorney generals pushing to get through lengthy appeals processes and get executions done. Also, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on his first day back in office to urge prosecutors to seek the death penalty, which may have also fueled the increase, according to John Blume, the director of the Cornell Death Penalty Project. Windom is scheduled to be killed at Florida State Prison near the city of Starke. He was convicted in 1992 and sentenced to death for the murders of Johnnie Lee, Valerie Davis and Mary Lubin. Eight other executions have taken place in Florida this year, with a ninth scheduled for Thursday and a 10th scheduled for Aug. 19, all by lethal injection. Edward J. Zakrzewski, II, was convicted of killing his wife and two children in 1994 after she sought a divorce, and Kayle Bates was convicted of killing a woman after abducting her from an insurance office in 1982. According to court documents, Windom bought a .38-caliber revolver and ammunition in the Orlando area on Feb. 7, 1992. He then tracked down Lee and shot him multiple times over what Windom claimed was a $2,000 debt. Windom then went to the apartment of Davis, with whom he shared a child, and shot her, officials said. Windom shot another man, who survived, while fleeing the apartment. Davis' mother, Lubin, was driving home when Windom spotted her and shot her at a stop sign. The Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court will hear final appeals before the execution. After Florida, Texas and South Carolina are tied for the highest number of executions, with four each this year. Alabama has executed three people, Oklahoma has killed two, and Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee each have killed one person.
Associated Press
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, with 3 set to die over next month
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — There are three executions set to take place in Florida over the next month, including a man convicted of fatally shooting three people and wounding another person, under a death warrant signed Tuesday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Curtis Windom, 59, is set to die by lethal injection Aug. 28 in the state with the highest number of executions this year. Experts say an uptick in executions around the country can be traced to aggressive Republican governors and attorney generals pushing to get through lengthy appeals processes and get executions done. Also, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on his first day back in office to urge prosecutors to seek the death penalty, which may have also fueled the increase, according to John Blume, the director of the Cornell Death Penalty Project. Windom is scheduled to be killed at Florida State Prison near the city of Starke. He was convicted in 1992 and sentenced to death for the murders of Johnnie Lee, Valerie Davis and Mary Lubin. Eight other executions have taken place in Florida this year, with a ninth scheduled for Thursday and a 10th scheduled for Aug. 19, all by lethal injection. Edward J. Zakrzewski, II, was convicted of killing his wife and two children in 1994 after she sought a divorce, and Kayle Bates was convicted of killing a woman after abducting her from an insurance office in 1982. According to court documents, Windom bought a .38-caliber revolver and ammunition in the Orlando area on Feb. 7, 1992. He then tracked down Lee and shot him multiple times over what Windom claimed was a $2,000 debt. Windom then went to the apartment of Davis, with whom he shared a child, and shot her, officials said. Windom shot another man, who survived, while fleeing the apartment. Davis' mother, Lubin, was driving home when Windom spotted her and shot her at a stop sign. The Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court will hear final appeals before the execution. After Florida, Texas and South Carolina are tied for the highest number of executions, with four each this year. Alabama has executed three people, Oklahoma has killed two, and Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee each have killed one person.
Axios
a day ago
- Politics
- Axios
Trump, DeSantis advocate for redistricting ahead of midterms
The Trump White House is pushing ahead with efforts to redraw congressional maps ahead of the midterms. Democrats are finding it tricky to fight back. Why it matters: The push to add Republican House seats is sparking a chain reaction as the parties fight tooth and nail over the majority. The big picture: Republicans are hoping to pick off more than a half-dozen Democratic-held seats by redrawing congressional maps ahead of 2026. Zoom in: In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week that it "would be appropriate to do a redistricting in the mid-decade" and that his administration was "working through what that would look like." Earlier this month, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a congressional map DeSantis spearheaded that helped Republicans flip the U.S. House in 2022, POLITICO reported. The other side: "This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to rig the system and silence voters before the 2026 election," Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement. Redistricting for partisan advantage is nothing new, but it's usually done after the census every ten years. The next one's scheduled for 2030. In Texas, Trump has encouraged Republicans to embark on a redistricting project that he's said could net the party as many as five seats. In Ohio, which is required by law to redraw its House map, party strategists believe they can gain two or three seats. In Missouri, Republicans believe they can pick up another seat. The intrigue: Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas Republicans were at first hesitant to take up redistricting, the Texas Tribune reported. After Trump's call to Abbott, it appeared on the special session agenda. Democrats, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, have vowed to punch back by drawing roughly as many new Democratic seats. Between the lines: The White House has no bigger priority in the midterms than keeping the House.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
DeSantis: ‘Appropriate' to pursue redistricting in Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said on Thursday it would be 'appropriate' to pursue redistricting in Florida in the mid-decade due to population shifts and what he called 'defects' in the way congressional lines have been drawn. The governor's comment came after he scored a win last week when the Florida Supreme Court ruled upheld a congressional map that blocked a challenge to the elimination of the majority-Black congressional district in the north of the state that previously was represented by former Rep. Al Lawson (D). The area that comprised the former congressional district is now divided among three Republican lawmakers. 'Just last week the Florida Supreme Court upheld the map that all of the naysayers were saying was somehow defective,' DeSantis told reporters at a press conference in Manatee County. 'I think if you look at that Florida Supreme Court analysis, there may be more defects that need to be remedied apart from what we've already done. I also think the way the population has shifted around Florida just since the Census was done in 2020, I think the state was malapportioned. So I do think it would be appropriate to do a redistricting here in the mid decade,' he said. DeSantis went on to say he believed that his state got a 'raw deal' in the Census when Florida only gained one congressional district, arguing that the state should have garnered at least two seats due to population growth. The governor said he relayed his concerns to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick after he was sworn in earlier this year. 'They said they were going to redo the count in time for 2026,' the governor said. 'They would have to do that relatively soon because you need time to draw maps and you need time to get that done.' Florida has seen an uptick in population growth following the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. A number of Democratic-held congressional seats could be impacted if redistricting were to take place, including those held in South Florida by Reps. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) and Lois Frankel (D-Fla.). Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) in the Tampa area and Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) outside of Orlando have also been floated as possible targets. Republicans and Democrats in the states have been engaged in a tit-for-tat of sorts over redistricting in recent weeks. Texas Republicans are moving ahead with redrawing district lines, while speculation has mounted that Republicans in other states like Florida could follow suit. Democrats from California to New Jersey in turn have ramped up calls to redraw their maps in an effort to blunt the GOP's efforts.
