Eighth Amendment

Plaintiffs Challenge Court’s Relief Denial in Angola Forced Labor Case

By Kavita Boon-LongJune 30, 20260 comments

A federal district court has been asked to reconsider a ruling that identified constitutional violations within the Louisiana State Penitentiary’s (Angola) Farm Line. Plaintiffs contend the Farm Line constitutes ‘a forced labor scheme requiring incarcerated men, who are predominately Black, to perform dangerous and intentionally degrading labor in the fields of the former plantation in extreme heat.’ While the court acknowledged unconstitutional heat conditions, it declined to order permanent relief or address broader claims of dignitary harm.

Florida Man Challenges Lethal Injection Protocol, Citing Constitutional Flaws

By Hannah KennedyJune 9, 20260 comments

Dusty Ray Spencer, a Florida death row inmate scheduled for execution on June 25, filed a successive motion for post-conviction relief in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. The petition contends that Spencer’s advanced age, medical conditions, and the state’s lethal injection protocol could collectively violate his Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Court Watch: Judge Imposes $180 Restitution Fee after Public Defender Raises Homelessness, Excessive Fines Concerns

By Hannah BriseñoApril 15, 20260 comments

Judge Maria D. Hernandez imposed a $180 restitution fee for the accused, who was in custody and appeared in court for a change of plea from not guilty to guilty, after the public defender argued that additional financial penalties should be waived due to the accused becoming unhoused during incarceration and being entitled to protection from excessive fines under the Eighth Amendment.

Florida Man on Death Row Claims Innocence, Seeks Execution Stay

By Amaya JonesApril 9, 20260 comments

James E. Hitchcock has filed a motion in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, arguing that withheld execution records, newly developed evidence of innocence, and constitutional violations render his death sentence unlawful and requesting a stay of execution and the vacatur of his conviction and sentence.