Opinion ID: 1603389
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Lethal Injection Procedures

Text: Hunter argues that lethal injection, the chemicals used to carry out a death sentence, and Florida's procedures for administrating the death penalty are unconstitutional under both the Florida and United States Constitutions. According to Hunter, lethal injection violates the proscription against cruel and unusual punishment because it inflicts undue pain on the inmate. Hunter also argues that Florida's lethal injection statute constitutes an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority and violates due process because the Legislature failed to give the Florida Department of Corrections any intelligible principle to create a rule of lethal injection protocol. Both claims are without merit. With respect to Hunter's Eighth Amendment challenge to Florida's lethal injection protocol, the Court has recently rejected such claims. See Sexton v. State, 997 So.2d 1073, (Fla. 2008); Griffin v. State, 992 So.2d 819 (Fla. 2008); Woodel v. State, 985 So.2d 524 (Fla.2008); Lebron v. State, 982 So.2d 649 (Fla.2008); Schwab v. State, 982 So.2d 1158 (Fla.2008); Lightbourne v. McCollum, 969 So.2d 326, 345 (Fla.2007); Schwab v. State, 969 So.2d 318, 325 (Fla.2007). Hunter offers nothing in addition to warrant a different determination. In respect to Hunter's challenge to Florida's lethal injection protocol based upon an alleged unconstitutional delegation of duty, he failed to raise that argument below; thus, the claim is not preserved for review. Moreover, as Hunter acknowledges, we have previously rejected this claim. See Diaz v. State, 945 So.2d 1136, 1143 (Fla.2006); Sims v. State, 754 So.2d 657, 670 (Fla.2000). And most recently, we reaffirmed our rejection of that claim in Sexton., 997 So.2d at 1089. Accordingly, Hunter is not entitled to relief based upon his lethal injection claims.