Moore v. Texas
View Official PDFBelow are plain-language sections to help you understand what the Court decided in Moore v. Texas and why it matters. Quotes are taken from the syllabus (the Court’s short summary at the start of the opinion).
Summary
A short, plain-English overview of Moore v. Texas.
In Moore v. Texas, the Supreme Court reversed the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' decision, finding that Bobby James Moore is intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty. The Court criticized the appeals court for relying on Moore's adaptive strengths and improvements in prison, which contradicted the Court's previous guidance. The decision emphasized the need for intellectual disability determinations to align with clinical standards rather than outdated criteria.
Holding
The single most important “bottom line” of what the Court decided in Moore v. Texas.
The Court held that Moore is a person with an intellectual disability, reversing the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' determination.
Constitutional Concepts
These are the Constitution-related themes that appear in Moore v. Texas. Click a concept to see other cases that involve the same idea.
-
Why Excessive Fines is relevant to Moore v. Texas
The case directly addresses whether the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment is applicable to the states through incorporation by the Fourteenth Amendment.
Syllabus excerpt (verbatim)Held: The Eighth Amendment's Excessive Fines Clause is an incorporated protection applicable to the States under the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.
-
Why Substantive Due Process is relevant to Moore v. Texas
The incorporation of the Excessive Fines Clause through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause involves substantive due process analysis.
Syllabus excerpt (verbatim)The Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause incorporates and renders applicable to the States Bill of Rights protections 'fundamental to our scheme of ordered liberty,' or 'deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition.'
Key Quotes
Short excerpts from the syllabus in Moore v. Texas that support the summary and concepts above.
The appeals court's opinion rests upon analysis that too closely resembles what the Court previously found improper.
The trial court record demonstrates that Moore is a person with an intellectual disability.
The appeals court again relied less upon Moore's adaptive deficits than upon Moore's apparent adaptive strengths.
