Mental Illness and the Death Penalty
Galloway v. Mississippi
In Galloway v. Mississippi, the ACLU represents a man on Mississippi’s death row whose trial attorneys relied on a mere twenty-two-page presentation in support of a life sentence, without first conducting the background investigation that would have enabled them to make informed decisions about what evidence to present. A constitutionally adequate investigation would have uncovered voluminous mitigating evidence that could have caused the jury to decide for life instead of death. The Mississippi Supreme Court rejected Mr. Galloway’s claim by speculating that trial counsel had an alternative “strategy” that precluded their doing a full presentation of the abuse he suffered as a child and his mental disabilities—even though Mr. Galloway’s lawyers asserted no such strategic judgment.
Status: Ongoing
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5 Mental Illness and the Death Penalty Cases
U.S. Supreme Court
Mar 2017
Mental Illness and the Death Penalty
Moore v. Texas
Whether Texas is violating the Constitution by using a test to determine intellectual disability in death penalty cases that is inconsistent with both Supreme Court precedent and science.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Mar 2017
Mental Illness and the Death Penalty
Moore v. Texas
Whether Texas is violating the Constitution by using a test to determine intellectual disability in death penalty cases that is inconsistent with both Supreme Court precedent and science.
Court Case
Jan 2015
Mental Illness and the Death Penalty
Texas v. Robert Ladd
The American Civil Liberties Union represented Robert Ladd, an intellectually disabled man with an IQ of 67, who faced execution in Texas. The ACLU petitioned the Supreme Court for a stay of Robert Ladd's execution and to review the initial decision of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Ladd was executed by the state of Texas at 7:02 pm CT on Thursday, January 29, 2015.
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Court Case
Jan 2015
Mental Illness and the Death Penalty
Texas v. Robert Ladd
The American Civil Liberties Union represented Robert Ladd, an intellectually disabled man with an IQ of 67, who faced execution in Texas. The ACLU petitioned the Supreme Court for a stay of Robert Ladd's execution and to review the initial decision of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Ladd was executed by the state of Texas at 7:02 pm CT on Thursday, January 29, 2015.
U.S. Supreme Court
Aug 2013
Mental Illness and the Death Penalty
+2 Issues
Kansas v. Cheever
Whether the Fifth Amendment imposes any limits on the state's ability to introduce evidence derived from a court-ordered psychiatric examination of the defendant by the state's expert.
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U.S. Supreme Court
Aug 2013
Mental Illness and the Death Penalty
+2 Issues
Kansas v. Cheever
Whether the Fifth Amendment imposes any limits on the state's ability to introduce evidence derived from a court-ordered psychiatric examination of the defendant by the state's expert.
Court Case
Mar 2008
Mental Illness and the Death Penalty
Capital Punishment
State of Tennessee v. Taylor
Severely Mentally-Ill ACLU Client is Sentenced to Life Imprisonment After Successful Appeal and 18 Years on Death Row
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Court Case
Mar 2008
Mental Illness and the Death Penalty
Capital Punishment
State of Tennessee v. Taylor
Severely Mentally-Ill ACLU Client is Sentenced to Life Imprisonment After Successful Appeal and 18 Years on Death Row