Roach v. Aiken, Warden, Et Al.

Background

A man convicted in South Carolina, James Terry Roach, was set for execution on January 10, 1986. He had pleaded guilty in 1977 several months before his 18th birthday to two murders and related charges. The trial judge found he acted under domination by an older person and noted mental retardation and a personality disorder. Roach’s lawyers presented new evidence suggesting he may suffer from Huntington’s disease and sought a last-minute stay and review from the Court after lower courts denied relief.

Reasoning

The Court was asked to block the imminent execution and decide whether Roach’s claimed mental deterioration or juvenile-related mitigation should prevent his death sentence. The Court denied the application for a stay of execution presented to the Chief Justice and also denied review of the case, effectively allowing the scheduled execution to go forward. The opinion notes that the Court had already granted review in a related case about executing the mentally incompetent (Ford v. Wainwright), but the majority declined to hold this case pending that decision.

Real world impact

The immediate effect is that Roach’s scheduled execution may proceed despite his new medical evidence and his youth at the time of the crimes. The decision leaves unresolved broader questions about executing people who were juveniles when they committed crimes or who currently show signs of serious mental illness. Because the Court denied review rather than deciding the underlying constitutional questions, those issues could be raised again in other cases.

Dissents or concurrances

Justices Brennan and Marshall dissented. They argued for a stay, stressing the juvenile factors, evidence of Huntington’s disease, and the need to await the Court’s ruling in the related mental-competency case.