12/08/2025
Supreme Court To Hear Case On Intellectual Disability
https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2025/12/06/supreme-court-to-hear-case-on-intellectual-disability/31765/
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Image: The Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.
"The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case that advocates say could have major implications for how intellectual disability is defined.
The high court will consider Hamm v. Smith on Wednesday. At issue is how multiple IQ scores should be factored when evaluating whether a person qualifies for a diagnosis of intellectual disability.
The case focuses on Joseph Clifton Smith, who was convicted of capital murder, and whether or not he has intellectual disability. Smith has taken five IQ tests, with scores ranging from 72 to 78. The state of Alabama contends that Smith should be eligible for ex*****on since his IQ scores are consistently over 70, but attorneys for Smith argue that given how low his scores are, the court should consider additional evidence."
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case that advocates say could have major implications for how intellectual disability is defined.
The high court will consider Hamm v. Smith on Wednesday. At issue is how multiple IQ scores should be factored when evaluating whether a person qualifies for a diagnosis of intellectual disability.
The case focuses on Joseph Clifton Smith, who was convicted of capital murder, and whether or not he has intellectual disability. Smith has taken five IQ tests, with scores ranging from 72 to 78. The state of Alabama contends that Smith should be eligible for ex*****on since his IQ scores are consistently over 70, but attorneys for Smith argue that given how low his scores are, the court should consider additional evidence.
More than two decades ago, the Supreme Court determined in Atkins v. Virginia that executing people with intellectual disabilities is cruel and unusual punishment and violates the Eighth Amendment. Additional cases since then have validated that decision and reinforced that clinical standards should be used to determine who falls into this category as opposed to relying on an IQ score alone.
The outcome of the case may reverberate far beyond the death penalty, advocates say.
“A decision in this case could have extremely significant consequences for people with intellectual disabilities,” said Jennifer Mathis, deputy director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. “There is no punishment more severe than death, and the wrongful use of this penalty on people with intellectual disabilities would be devastating. Further, it is possible that a decision with an inappropriately narrow understanding of intellectual disability could have ramifications far beyond the death penalty if such a narrow view of how intellectual disability is determined were applied in the context of eligibility for disability services.”
The Bazelon Center joined with The Arc of the United States, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the National Disability Rights Network to file an amicus brief in the case urging the court to stick with an established clinical framework to evaluate claims of intellectual disability. The framework considers whether a person has significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive functioning that arose before adulthood."
"20 states and the Trump administration are backing Alabama in the case."
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case that advocates say could have major implications for how intellectual disability is defined.
