Jurisprudence
Supreme Court dismisses Alabama appeal in death-penalty case involving intellectual disability
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The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Alabama’s appeal in Hamm v. Smith as “improvidently granted,” leaving intact lower-court rulings that bar the execution of Joseph Clifton Smith, a death-row prisoner found by federal courts to be intellectually disabled.
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that certain plea agreements waiving appeal rights can be set aside if enforcing them would cause a manifest miscarriage of justice. The 8-1 decision, written by Justice Elena Kagan, reversed a Fifth Circuit ruling in a fraud case involving Munson Hunter.
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The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases challenging state laws that bar transgender girls from participating in girls' school sports teams. The cases, Little v. Hecox from Idaho and West Virginia v. B.P.J., focus on whether these bans violate the Constitution and Title IX. Justices appeared divided, with a majority seeming inclined to uphold the restrictions.
A Washington, D.C., jury recently acquitted anti-ICE protester Sydney Reid in a trial marked by extensive questioning of potential jurors about their views on immigration enforcement. Nearly a dozen prospective jurors were dismissed for expressing skepticism toward ICE and federal authorities. The case highlighted community distrust amid ongoing ICE raids under the Trump administration.