Supreme Court petition seeks to stop Florida execution

Edward James' attorney has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop his execution scheduled for Thursday. This request follows rejections from the Florida Supreme Court and a federal appeals court regarding his appeals related to a 1993 double murder. The attorney argues that James' death sentence was based on an 11-1 jury recommendation, which she claims violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. James, now 63, was convicted of murdering Betty Dick and her granddaughter Toni Neuner. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a death warrant for James on February 18. The state Supreme Court and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals have both upheld decisions against halting the execution.