The state of the death penalty at the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of three death row inmates, overturning lower court decisions in Whitton v. Dixon, Pitchford v. Cain, and Hamm v. Smith. The rulings highlighted issues with DNA evidence handling, jury selection, and assessing intellectual disability, while states increased executions in 2025, with 47 people put to death. The Court has denied all 2026 execution delay requests but did not halt any executions.