Emergency application · Capital case
Mental ability to face execution
Byron Lewis Black v. Tennessee
What did the Court do?
The Court denied the request on August 4, 2025 and refused to halt the execution.
Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case.
What's being asked
Byron Lewis Black, a Tennessee death-row prisoner, asked the Supreme Court to pause his execution while it considered his petition for review. He argues that low intellectual functioning, severe memory problems, inability to manage his affairs, and brain damage make him incompetent to be executed. The application challenges the Tennessee Supreme Court’s July 8 denial of relief after review of his competency to be executed.
What the Court did
The Court refused a temporary pause of Black’s execution (denied his stay request) and denied Supreme Court review (refused to hear the case). The Court did not publish how the justices voted.
What it means
The Court’s denial of a temporary pause did not decide whether Black is competent to be executed. The Tennessee Supreme Court’s July 8 denial of relief remains in place. No related case is listed, and the Court set no argument.
Sources
Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 25A65. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.