By Stacy Sadove, Esq.<\/a>, and Marion Walsh, Esq.<\/a>, Littman Krooks LLP<\/a><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The highest Court in the country has officially stopped using the term \u201cmentally retarded\u201d to refer to individuals with intellectual disabilities. \u00a0This shift in terminology by the Court shows a significant shift in society’s progress toward treating each other with dignity.<\/p>\n Specifically, in the recent decision of Hall v. Florida<\/em><\/a>, the Supreme Court of the United States reaffirmed the core holding of the 2002 seminal case Atkins v. Virginia<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> 536 U. S. 304, 321 (2002).\u00a0 Atkins<\/em> created an Eighth Amendment categorical bar to executing persons with an intellectual disability. The case of Hall<\/em>, also marked a major milestone in efforts to put an end to use of the term \u201cmental retardation\u201d to categorize persons with intellectual disabilities.<\/p>\n “Mentally retarded” represents the term used in the fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (the DSM-IV).\u00a0 In prior decisions, the (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Stacy Sadove, Esq., and Marion Walsh, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP The highest Court in the country has officially stopped using the term \u201cmentally retarded\u201d to refer to individuals with intellectual disabilities. \u00a0This shift in terminology by the Court shows…<\/span><\/p>\n