TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A new Florida law that speeds up how quickly the state carries out the death penalty is being challenged in the state Supreme Court.
Attorneys Neal Dupree and Bill Jennings - who head the state agencies that represent death row inmates after they're convicted - are leading a lawsuit filed Wednesday afternoon against Attorney General Pam Bondi and the state of Florida.
Signed by Gov. Rick Scott earlier this month, the "Timely Justice Act of 2013" creates tighter timeframes for appeals, post-conviction motions and imposes reporting requirements on case progress. The lawsuit claims the new law unconstitutionally usurps the court's powers and violates convicts' constitutional rights to due process and equal protection.
The challenge also asks for an injunction to keep the law from going into effect on Monday.
