Emergency application · Capital case
Intellectual disability and execution
Jamaal Howard v. Texas
Has the Court ruled?
Not yet. The Court has not ruled on the request.
It was filed October 6, 2026.
What's being asked
Jamaal Howard, a Texas death-row prisoner, asks the Supreme Court to temporarily pause his execution while it considers his review request. Howard says the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals threw out his claim that he has an intellectual disability and cannot legally be executed. He says his execution is scheduled for October 7, 2026.
What happens next
The Court has not ruled and may act at any time, with or without an explanation; no response was requested. The application has not been sent to the full Court, and no separate emergency pause or argument date is recorded. The Court can grant the request, deny it, or grant only part of it.
What it means
If granted, Howard's request would temporarily stop his execution while the Court considers his petition to review the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' order. It would not decide whether his intellectual-disability claim succeeds. The docket lists no further proceedings in the Texas court, no related Supreme Court case on the main question, and no argument date.
Sources
Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 26A459. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.