No. 25-5691

Bradford Allen Thompson v. Texas

Lower Court: Texas
Docketed: 2025-09-19
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: abstract-beliefs constitutional-law first-amendment non-capital-felony relevancy-standard sentencing-evidence
Key Terms:
FirstAmendment DueProcess
Latest Conference: 2025-11-07
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the First Amendment prohibition against using a defendant's 'abstract beliefs' applies to non-capital felony cases and whether the Court should revisit Dawson's standard for relevancy inquiry

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

Whether Dawson u. Delaware’s I First Amendment prohibition against using a defendant’s “abstract beliefs” (in this case, an interest in Nazi literature and Petitioner’s SS lightning-bolt tattoos) as sentencing evidence applies to non-capital felony cases and more importantly, should this Court revisit Dawson and adopt an appropriate standard to guide a Dawson relevancy inquiry? 503 U.S. 159 (1992).

Docket Entries

2025-11-10
Petition DENIED.
2025-10-16
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 11/7/2025.
2025-10-02
Waiver of right of respondent State of Texas to respond filed.
2025-09-16
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due October 20, 2025)

Attorneys

Bradford Thompson
James Allen RasmussenRasmussen Law Office, Petitioner
State of Texas
John Staley Heatly — Respondent