Tuesday, June 07, 2022

Court Resolves Details Of Last Rites During Inmate's Execution

In Atwood v. Shinn, (D AZ, June 6, 2022), an Arizona federal district court entered a preliminary injunction detailing the manner in which a Greek Orthodox priest could administer last rites to a prisoner before and during the prisoner's execution by lethal injection.  The state consented to many of the provisions of the injunction. However the court, relying on RLUIPA as a basis, resolved the remaining areas of disagreement: (1) The inmate may be in a wheelchair rather than a restraint chair so he can fully participate in the tonsure ceremony; (2) the priest may be at the inmate's head during the execution so he can place a priestly stole over his head.