No. 21-7913

William Earl Sweet v. Florida

Lower Court: Florida
Docketed: 2022-05-19
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
IFP
Tags: criminal-procedure due-process equal-protection faretta-standard fourteenth-amendment habeas-corpus harmless-error self-representation timeliness
Key Terms:
DueProcess HabeasCorpus Punishment Securities JusticiabilityDoctri
Latest Conference: 2022-09-28
Question Presented (from Petition)

1. Whether the Petitioner's right to self-representation was violated when the trial court denied the Petitioner's request to proceed pro se and the Florida Supreme Court affirmed this denial despite the Florida Supreme Court's decision that the trial court's inquiry fell short of Faretta, and even its own rule that protected the right to self-representation, then proceeded to apply the factors that this Court has made clear are irrelevant in Godinez v. Moran.

2. Whether the Florida Supreme Court's most recent decision denying relief from a manifest injustice denied Mr. Sweet's rights under the Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution when the court has the mechanism under Florida law to provide the remedy that Mr. Sweet was always entitled and has treated similarly situated defendants differently?

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Right-to-self-representation

Docket Entries

2022-10-03
Petition DENIED.
2022-06-30
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2022.
2022-06-27
Reply of petitioner William Earl Sweet filed.
2022-06-15
Brief of respondent Florida in opposition filed.
2022-05-16
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due June 21, 2022)
2022-03-10
Application (21A492) granted by Justice Thomas extending the time to file until May 16, 2022.
2022-03-07
Application (21A492) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from April 14, 2022 to June 13, 2022, submitted to Justice Thomas.

Attorneys

State of Florida
Carolyn M. SnurkowskiOffice of the Attorney General, Respondent
William Earl Sweet
James L. Driscoll Jr.Law Office of the Capital Collateral CounselMidd, Petitioner