Opinion ID: 1907350
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Habeas Claim Constitutionality of Florida's Death Penalty Statute

Text: In his petition for writ of habeas corpus, Elledge presents several claims under the rubric of the United States Supreme Court's decision in Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584, 122 S.Ct. 2428, 153 L.Ed.2d 556 (2002). [29] Each of Elledge's claims is meritless. See Johnson v. State, 30 Fla. L. Weekly S297 (Fla. Apr. 28, 2005). Elledge's contention with regard to the trial court's failure to provide a reasonable doubt instruction was decided adversely to him on direct appeal. See Elledge IV, 706 So.2d at 1347 n. 10. With regard to the other constitutional challenges presented by Elledge, this Court has repeatedly rejected similar claims. See Proffitt, 428 U.S. at 255-56, 96 S.Ct. 2960 (upholding constitutionality of Florida's death penalty statute against multiple challenges, including challenge based on vagueness and overbreadth of aggravating and mitigating circumstances and the lack of guidance for the jury in weighing such factors); Griffin v. State, 866 So.2d 1, 14 (Fla.2003) (stating that this Court has repeatedly rejected claims that the standard jury instruction impermissibly shifts the burden to the defense to prove that death is not the appropriate sentence), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 125 S.Ct. 413, 160 L.Ed.2d 328 (2004); Freeman, 761 So.2d at 1067 (rejecting contention that same felony underlying a felony murder conviction cannot be used as an aggravating circumstance); Merck v. State, 664 So.2d 939, 943 (Fla. 1995) (rejecting overbreadth challenge to standard HAC instruction). Finally, this Court has rejected constitutional challenges to the State's failure to list aggravating factors in the indictment. See Brown v. Moore, 800 So.2d 223, 225 (Fla.2001) (rejecting constitutional challenge predicated on the failure to list aggravating factors in the indictment).