The Supreme Court ruling in Hall v. Florida is available in Adobe .pdf format.
"Justices rule for death row inmates with low IQ," is the initial AP report.
The Supreme Court says states must look beyond an intelligence test score in borderline cases of mental disability to determine whether a death row inmate is eligible to be executed.
The justices said in a 5-4 ruling Tuesday that Florida cannot rely solely on an IQ score above 70 to bar an inmate from claiming mental disability. Justice Anthony Kennedy said for the court that IQ tests have a margin of error and that inmates whose scores fall within the margin must be allowed to present other evidence of mental disability.
A score of 70 is widely accepted as a marker of mental disability, but medical professionals say people who score as high as 75 can be considered intellectually disabled because of the test's margin of error.
"Live blog of orders and opinions," is from SCOTUSblog.
The state's threshold requirement as interpreted by the FL Supreme Court IS unconstitutional.
-- by Amy Howe 9:16 AM
It violates the Eighth Amendment. Opinion by Kennedy; it is 5-4. Alito writes for the dissenters, joined by the Chief, Scalia, and Thomas. The Florida Supreme Court is reversed.
-- by Amy Howe 9:16 AM
The Florida Supreme Court had ruled that Hall would have to show an IQ of 70 or below before being allowed to present any additional evidence about his intellectual disability. The state court found the 70-point threshold to be constitutional, but that has been reversed. The Court holds that the Florida rule disregards established medical practice.
-- by Amy Howe 9:17 AM
Earlier coverage of Hall v. Florida begins at the link.
As I often point out, mental retardation is now generally referred to as a developmental or intellectual disability. Because it has a specific meaning with respect to capital cases, I continue to use the older term on the website.
More on Atkins v. Virginia, the Supreme Court's 2002 ruling banning the execution of those with mental retardation, is via Oyez. Related posts are in the mental retardation category index.
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