list of united states supreme court cases involving mental health list of united states supreme court cases involving mental health the u.s. supreme court has issued numerous rulings regarding mental health and how society treats and regards the ill. while some rulings applied very narrowly, perhaps to only one individual, other cases have had great influence over wide areas. disability year case ruling right 1999 albertsons inc. v. kirkingburg not all individuals who have some sort of physical difficulty are "disabled" under the ada. instead, those who believe they suffer from a disability must prove their claim on a case-by-case basis by showing that their alleged disability substantially impacts a major life activity. ??? criminal competency year case ruling right 1960 dusky v. united states affirming a criminal defendant's constitutional right to have a competency evaluation before proceeding to trial, and setting the standard for determination of such competence. bor, 14th 1966 pate v. robinson a hearing about competency to stand trial is required under the due process clause of the constitution of the united states. bor, 14th 1972 jackson v. indiana criminal defendants who have been found incompetent to stand trial are not permitted to be held indefinitely. there must be some possibility of becoming competent in a reasonable amount of time bor, 14th 1975 drope v. missouri when deciding whether to evaluate a criminal defendant's competency, the court must consider any evidence suggestive of mental illness, even one factor alone in some circumstances. therefore, the threshold for obtaining a competency evaluation is low. when the issue is raised, the motion should be granted. the defendant must not bear all the burden for raising the issue. bor, 14th 1985 ake v. oklahoma indigent criminal defendants have a right to a competency evaluation bor, 14th 1996 cooper v. oklahoma the burden for proving incompetency is only preponderance; due process would be violated if the burden is required to be carried by clear and convincing evidence. death penalty year case ruling right 1976 profitt v. florida permitted comparison of mitigating and aggravating factors to decide death penalty decisions.