Supreme Court to Reassess IQ Standards in Death Penalty Case

Wed Dec 10 2025 09:40:00 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The Supreme Court will hear a critical appeal from Alabama concerning the fate of Joseph Clifton Smith, a death row inmate whose intellectual disability status is under scrutiny due to varying IQ scores.

The Supreme Court is set to review the case of Joseph Clifton Smith, who has been on death row for over two decades. Central to the case is whether he meets the criteria for intellectual disability with multiple IQ scores fluctuating between 72 to 78. The outcome could reshape how states assess intellectual disabilities in capital punishment cases.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is poised to hear arguments concerning the intellectual disability of Joseph Clifton Smith, a 55-year-old man on Alabama's death row. Smith’s case raises pivotal questions about what constitutes intellectual disability in the legal context, potentially affecting future death penalty cases.

Smith was convicted for the 1997 murder of Durk Van Dam, who was brutally beaten to death. Lower courts have ruled that Smith is intellectually disabled, precluding execution under the Supreme Court’s landmark 2002 decision. The critical issue revolves around his varying IQ scores, which range from 72 to 78, a borderline area dictated by state law.

Alabama argues that Smith has not adequately demonstrated intellectual disability, as his scores include multiple figures above the benchmark of 70. The state insists that merely qualifying for borderline scores does not suffice and that a broader interpretation of what defines disability would undermine the legal standards previously established by the Supreme Court.

In recent hearings, lawyers for Smith argue that considerations such as learning difficulties and adaptive behavior should be weighed in conjunction with IQ score variances. A federal judge previously noted the complexity of Smith’s mental health status, acknowledging the tightrope legal balancing act involved.

The implications of the case extend beyond Smith himself, as it could redefine how states ascertain intellectual disabilities among death row inmates. The Trump administration and numerous states have backed Alabama’s legal stance, making this case particularly significant in the current political and judicial climate.

As the Supreme Court prepares to scrutinize this case, many await the outcome, which may set far-reaching precedents regarding the treatment of individuals with intellectual disabilities within the penal system.