What's happened
The Supreme Court has left in place lower-court rulings in favor of Joseph Clifton Smith, who has spent roughly half his life on death row after a 1997 murder conviction. The Court has not issued a decision on how to handle multiple IQ scores near the 70 threshold in intellectual disability determinations.
What's behind the headline?
Key points
- The Court did not decide the fate of Hamm v. Smith, maintaining existing rulings
- IQ scores have ranged from 72 to 78 for Smith, who was 55 at the time of the crime
- Past decisions have allowed broader evidence to determine disability in borderline cases
Potential implications
- States may continue to rely on lower-court rulings in Smith’s favor
- The decision could influence how future cases treat multiple IQ scores near 70
How we got here
The case centers on whether courts should weigh multiple IQ tests—scores ranging from 72 to 78—when evaluating intellectual disability in borderline cases. Previous rulings have prohibited executing intellectually disabled individuals (2002) and later encouraged considering additional evidence beyond IQ tests in 2014 and 2017.
Our analysis
New York Times, The Independent, AP News all report that the Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal without ruling on how to handle multiple IQ scores in Smith’s case, leaving lower-court rulings in place.
Go deeper
- What happens next for Smith’s case?
- How might states adapt their disability determinations in light of today’s action?
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