TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Rick Scott and a prosecutor who refuses to seek the death penalty in Orange and Osceola counties will square off against each other before the state's high court Wednesday.
It’s all part of the fallout from State Attorney Aramis Ayala’s decision to no longer pursue the death penalty.
The state Supreme Court will take up the issue at 9 a.m. Wednesday and will hear arguments, meaning Ayala’s attorneys will tell the court her side.
Scott’s lawyers will have the same opportunity.
Ayala is suing the governor because he took 23 cases in which the death penalty might be appropriate and handed them off to State Attorney Brad King from Ocala.
The governor said his executive authority gives him the right to do that, but Ayala argues he’s stepping on her responsibility to decide when and if to pursue the death penalty.
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