5/4/16 Florida Supreme Court Oral Arguments: Cortez Hatten v. State, SC15-22

Mr. Hatten was sentenced to 40 years in prison with a 25-year mandatory minimum term for attempted second-degree murder. His crime was reclassified as a first-degree felony under Florida’s 10-20-Life sentencing law, which increases penalties for criminals who carry or use firearms. On appeal, he argued that the longest sentence allowed by state law for a first-degree felony is 30 years in prison, barring a specific exception to that general limit. The First District Court of Appeal upheld his 40-year sentence. The 1st DCA also certified direct conflict with rulings from other district courts of appeal on the same legal issue.