The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times
AD
The Epoch Times
US Supreme Court

Supreme Court Seems Divided on Role of IQ in Weighing Death Sentences

The justices reviewed whether an appeals court had erred in the way it analyzed potential intellectual disability by a convicted murderer.
Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Supreme Court Seems Divided on Role of IQ in Weighing Death Sentences
The Supreme Court in Washington on Nov. 10, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
Sam Dorman
Sam Dorman
Editor
12/10/2025|Updated: 12/10/2025
0:00

The Supreme Court wrestled on Dec. 10 over how judges should weigh IQ scores when determining whether a convict was wrongly sentenced to death.

The case, Hamm v. Smith, centered on an Alabama man convicted of murder in the 1990s, but the legal questions involved stem from a 2002 decision by the high court known as Atkins v. Virginia.

Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Sam Dorman
Sam Dorman
Editor
Sam Dorman is an editor for The Epoch Times. You can follow him on X at @EpochofDorman.
twitter
Author’s Selected Articles
Supreme Court Considers Trump’s TPS Policies
May 02, 2026
Supreme Court Considers Trump’s TPS Policies
Supreme Court Seems Split Over End of Temporary Deportation Protections for Syrians, Haitians
Apr 29, 2026
Supreme Court Seems Split Over End of Temporary Deportation Protections for Syrians, Haitians
Supreme Court Considers Use of Cell Location Data in Criminal Investigations
Apr 27, 2026
Supreme Court Considers Use of Cell Location Data in Criminal Investigations
Suspect Facing Multiple Charges After Shooting at WH Correspondents’ Dinner: DOJ
Apr 25, 2026
Suspect Facing Multiple Charges After Shooting at WH Correspondents’ Dinner: DOJ
AD
Add to My List
Save
The Epoch Times
Copyright © 2000 - 2026 The Epoch Times Association Inc. All Rights Reserved.