Atkins v. Virginia

In Atkins v. Virginia (2002), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that executing individuals with intellectual disabilities violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The Court found that executing mentally disabled offenders does not advance the deterrent or retributive purposes of the death penalty. This decision reflected "evolving standards of decency" and concluded that such punishment is excessive. The case involved Daryl Atkins, who was convicted of murder despite having an IQ of 59, which his defense argued indicated mild mental retardation. The Supreme Court reversed the Virginia Supreme Court's decision, which had affirmed Atkins's death sentence. This ruling built upon previous legal interpretations of the Eighth Amendment, such as in Furman v. Georgia (1972), which addressed arbitrary and discriminatory application of the death penalty.12