TANZI WARRANT: Tanzi files emergency petition at Florida Supreme Court
Michael Tanzi’s execution is scheduled for April 8 at 6:00 p.m. This afternoon, Tanzi filed an emergency all writs petition asking the Court to require the State to provide him with a wheelchair.
Michael Tanzi’s execution is scheduled for April 8 at 6:00 p.m. (More here.) Tanzi had two cases pending at the Florida Supreme Court this morning. (The latest on those cases is here.) This afternoon, Tanzi filed an emergency all writs petition in the Court.
The petition asks the Court to enter an Order requiring the State (prison, DOC, etc.) “to immediately provide Mr. Tanzi with a wheelchair when he is transported to the room/area designated by DOC/FSP where attorney legal visits (and visits by his spiritual advisor) take place.” The petition explains:
Mr. Tanzi is a morbidly obese inmate who suffers from, inter alia, severe chronic sciatica accompanied by cervical and lumbar spine abnormalities. As Mr. Tanzi has also noted in his pleadings, these ongoing, chronic, and extremely painful conditions make it virtually impossible for him to walk to the visitation area designated by DOC/FSP where attorney legal visits and spiritual visits take place.
Tanzi’s counsel have tried to resolve the issue directly with the State but have been unsuccessful and, therefore, Tanzi “no other redress but to seek th[e] Court’s intervention.”
According to the petition, Tanzi’s next legal visits are scheduled for March 31. The petition argues that “[t]here is a clear history of this Court intervening in order to direct DOC to carry out its duties.”
The State’s response is due Friday at 5:00 p.m.
The filings in this case are available on the Court’s docket here.
TFDP Prior Coverage of the Tanzi Warrant
My thoughts are with everyone involved in the warrant- and execution-related process.
I would like to thank you very much for the continuous information I receive from you by email. This really helps us a lot in our work.
What I find really bad is the fact that Michael Tanzi has to apply to court for a wheelchair that he undoubtedly needs. The DOC should be able to provide him with a wheelchair without these bureaucratic hurdles. That is also a question of humanity. Greetings, Peter K.