US supreme court dismisses Alabama’s bid to execute intellectually disabled man
Summary
The US Supreme Court rejected Alabama’s request to challenge a ruling that Joseph Clifton Smith, a man on death row, is intellectually disabled and cannot be executed under the Constitution. The Court dismissed the case without a full review, leaving in place the lower court’s decision that blocked Smith’s execution.Key Facts
- Joseph Clifton Smith was convicted of a 1997 murder and is on death row in Alabama.
- The lower court found Smith intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for the death penalty under the US Constitution.
- The Supreme Court dismissed Alabama’s petition to review the case without a full decision on the merits.
- The main legal question involved how to interpret multiple IQ scores around the cutoff for intellectual disability.
- Alabama’s rule bars executing people with an IQ of 70 or below and significant daily living skill deficits before age 18.
- Smith’s IQ scores ranged from 72 to 78, with some uncertainty that could lower one score to 69.
- Evidence included school records labeling Smith with mild intellectual disability and proof of difficulties in daily life skills.
- The Supreme Court’s 2002 ruling states executing intellectually disabled people violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel punishment.
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