Trump Advisor Bannon Seeks a Trial Delay on Contempt Charge
States Must Allow Prayer, Even Touch During Executions, Supreme Court Says
March 25, 2022 by Dan McCue
WASHINGTON — States must accommodate the wishes of death row inmates who ask to have a priest or other representative of their faith pray aloud and even comfort them with a touch during their executions, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The case before the court was brought by John Henry Ramirez, who was sentenced to die for the 2004 murder and robbery of a Corpus Christi, Texas, convenience store worker.
Ramirez stabbed the worker, Pablo Castro, 29 times and stole just $1.25. As his execution approached, Ramirez challenged state rules that would have forced his pastor to remain silent and separate from him as he is put to death.
Writing for the majority in the 8-to-1 ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote “it is possible to accommodate Ramirez’s sincere religious beliefs without delaying or impeding his execution.”
Roberts noted that Texas “appears to have long allowed prison chaplains to pray with inmates in the execution chamber, deciding to prohibit such prayer only in the last several years.”
He also rejected concerns that allowing a pastor to touch an inmate could interfere with the intravenous lines that carry the drugs used to carry out the execution.
Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, writing before his recent hospitalization for the flu that Ramirez repeatedly attempted to delay his execution and his current lawsuit “is but the latest iteration in an 18-year pattern of evasion.”
Roberts’ opinion also urged states to think about the religious needs of inmates in the context of executions and proactively adopt policies.
“If states adopt clear rules in advance, it should be the rare case that requires last-minute resort to the federal courts,” he wrote.
In an email to The Well News, Robert Hurst, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said, “We respect the court’s decision and will be making appropriate modifications to our practices to align with today’s ruling.”
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue.
A+
a-
In The News
Economy
Inflation Pressures Easing, but It’ll Be Awhile Before Consumers Feel It
2022-07-01 20:18:11
Health
Health
FDA Advisors Lean Into Modifying COVID-19 Vaccines to Be Omicron-Specific
2022-06-29 22:35:19
Voting
Supreme Court
Justices Rule GOP Lawmakers Can Defend North Carolina Voter ID Law
2022-06-23 20:10:02
2022 Elections
Secretary of State, Voting Orgs Clash Over Election Mailer in Ohio
2022-06-03 14:58:15
Criminal Justice
July 1, 2022
by Tom Ramstack
Trump Advisor Bannon Seeks a Trial Delay on Contempt Charge
WASHINGTON — Former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon is asking a Washington, D.C., federal judge to delay his trial... Read More
WASHINGTON — Former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon is asking a Washington, D.C., federal judge to delay his trial for contempt of Congress after recent hearings of the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol created an "unprecedented level... Read More
June 29, 2022
by Dan McCue
Gorsuch Scorches Majority Over Ruling in Sovereign Authority Case
WASHINGTON — It began with a simple question: Do the federal government and a state have concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute... Read More
WASHINGTON — It began with a simple question: Do the federal government and a state have concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed by non-Native Americans against Native Americans in what the federal government continues to refer to as “Indian country”? But the ruling in the case,... Read More
Buffalo Supermarket Gunman in Court on Hate Crime Counts
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The white man who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket made his first appearance... Read More
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The white man who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket made his first appearance in federal court on hate crime charges Thursday, and the judge urged prosecutors to quickly decide whether to pursue the death penalty given the “substantial” cost... Read More
March 25, 2022
by Dan McCue
States Must Allow Prayer, Even Touch During Executions, Supreme Court Says
WASHINGTON — States must accommodate the wishes of death row inmates who ask to have a priest or other representative... Read More
WASHINGTON — States must accommodate the wishes of death row inmates who ask to have a priest or other representative of their faith pray aloud and even comfort them with a touch during their executions, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The case before the court was... Read More
March 19, 2022
by Firing-Squad Executions Get Greenlight in South Carolina
Firing-Squad Executions Get Greenlight in South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has given the greenlight to firing-squad executions, a method codified into state law last... Read More
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has given the greenlight to firing-squad executions, a method codified into state law last year after a decade-long pause in carrying out death sentences because of the state's inability to procure lethal injection drugs. The state Corrections Department said Friday... Read More
March 8, 2022
by Tom Ramstack
Jan. 6 Capitol Insurrectionist Convicted After First Jury Trial Among Rioters
WASHINGTON — A Texas oil rig worker on Tuesday became the first criminal defendant from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot... Read More
WASHINGTON — A Texas oil rig worker on Tuesday became the first criminal defendant from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol to be convicted by a jury. Guy Reffitt, 49, was convicted in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., of disrupting the certification... Read More
News From The Well
