---
title: 'Supreme Court Begins New Term with at Least One Capital Case'
description: 'The U.S. Supreme Court will begin its 2014-15 term on October 6. One of the cases the Court will hear during its first month is Jennings v. Stephens, a…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/supreme-court-begins-new-term-with-at-least-one-capital-case'
section: news
date: '2014-10-03T15:36:35-04:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:38:59-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

! The **U.S. Supreme Court** will begin its 2014-15 term on October 6. One of the cases the Court will hear during its first month is [***Jennings v. Stephens***](/united-states-supreme-court-decisions-2014-2015-term), a **Texas** death penalty case involving ineffectiveness of counsel and whether a separate appeal is necessary for each such claim. Oral arguments will take place on October 15. The Court has been asked to review an appeal from **[Scott Panetti](/node/5897)**, another death row inmate from Texas, who may be mentally incompetent. Last year, the Supreme Court struck down **Florida**'s strict IQ cutoff for determining intellectual disability. In that case, [***Hall v. Florida***](/node/5779), the Court concluded that "Florida’s law contravenes our Nation’s commitment to dignity and its duty to teach human decency as the mark of a civilized world."

(DPIC, October 3, 2014). See **[U.S. Supreme Court](/article.php?did=248&scid=38)**, **[Intellectual Disability](/intellectual-disability-and-death-penalty)**, **[Mental Illness](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/mental-illness-and-death-penalty)**, and **[Representation](/death-penalty-representation)**.