Law Professor Judith Scully talks Florida’s Stand Your Ground law

Judith Scully
Stetson Law Professor Judith Scully

Ten years after the death of Trayvon Martin, Law Professor Judith Scully talked with National Public Radio affiliate WMFE Orlando for a story titled “A decade after Trayvon Martin’s killing, Florida’s Stand Your Ground still faces scrutiny.” Scully is an expert in social justice-related law and policy.

Story Excerpt:

Florida became the first state to adopt Stand Your Ground, with support from the NRA. “It is a type of statute that describes the rights of an individual to defend themselves when they feel threatened,” says Stetson University College of Law professor Judith Scully. Since becoming law in 2005, more than half of U.S. states have a Stand Your Ground law.

Unlike previous self-defense laws, Stand Your Ground removes the legal duty to try to escape the situation. “If you have a reasonable belief that you are being threatened, you can use deadly force, and you do not need to retreat,” says Scully. “It makes it much easier for individuals to actually claim that the killing that they participated in was a justifiable killing.

This story was originally published Feb. 24, 2022 on WMFE.org.