Farina v. Florida Dep’t of Corr. (Eleventh Circuit)

In this case, we filed an amicus brief on behalf of religious and civil liberties organizations including Americans United for Separation of Church and State, American Civil Liberties Union, and Interfaith Alliance Foundation in support of the petitioner Anthony Farina’s petition for habeas corpus to the Eleventh Circuit. Petitioner Farina argued that he had been deprived of a fair sentencing-phase trial under the U.S. Constitution when the state prosecutor elicited testimony that biblical precepts required the jury to acquiesce in the prosecutor’s request to impose the death penalty. We filed a brief on behalf of our clients and shared oral argument time with Petitioner’s counsel. In a unanimous opinion, the Eleventh Circuit agreed with us and reversed and remanded for a new sentencing phase trial.