The U.S. Supreme Court declared on Tuesday that Florida's death penalty law is unconstitutional. The reason given is that the state's law gives more powers to judges rather than juries to decide whether the perpetrator should be given capital punishment.

According to NBC News, Florida's death penalty system is against the Supreme Court's several rulings in which a defendant's punishment must be handed out by a jury. It is the case of Timothy Lee Hurst, who was convicted for binding, gagging and stabbing his manager at a Popeye's restaurant more than 60 times in 1998. You can view the entire syllabus released by the SCOTUS via their official website.

"The Sixth Amendment requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death. A jury's mere recommendation is not enough," Sonia Sotomayor wrote. The court favored Hurst in an 8-1 ruling. The case was sent back to the Florida Supreme Court in order to determine whether he would be given a new sentencing hearing.

Many of Florida's lawmakers were shocked by the SCOTUS ruling, given the fact that the state has the death penalty for more than 40 years. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an email statement that the state will be making some changes to its death-sentencing ruling, per the Associated Press.

"I will work with state lawmakers this legislative session to ensure that those changes comply with the Court's latest decision. The impact of the Court's ruling on existing death sentences will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis," Bondi said.

Florida has 390 inmates on death row, but it is not known whether the ruling will affect their sentences. The Sunshine State has the second highest number of people on death row in the U.S. next to California. A Florida judge has not overturned a jury's recommendation since 1999.

As for the family of Hurst's victim, they will be happy even without an execution as long as he is given a life sentence without parole. However, the family does not want to go through any more legal proceedings after 17 years of court cases and trials.

"It's been hell. When you get to thinking it's over with, it starts all over again. It's nerve-racking. I just want it over with. I want to know he has no more appeals. I have post-traumatic stress. I have depression. It's like the family evaporated. We're all here, but it's like we're not," the victim's mother Connie Fuselier told NBC News.