SCOTUS Dismisses Alabama Death Sentence Case In Divided Ruling

The Supreme Court barred the execution of intellectually disabled individuals in its landmark 2002 ruling in Atkins v. Virginia.

At the center of Smith’s case is how courts should evaluate defendants whose IQ scores fall slightly above the commonly recognized threshold of 70 associated with intellectual disability. Smith received five IQ test scores ranging from 72 to 78.

According to his attorneys, Smith was placed in special education classes for students with learning disabilities and left school after seventh grade.