Tuesday, November 09, 2021

Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Role Of Chaplain In Execution Chamber

The Supreme Court hears oral arguments this morning in Ramirez v. Collier. In the case, a convicted murderer is suing for permission to have his pastor lay hands on him as he receives a lethal injection and dies. The 5th Circuit, by a vote of 2-1, affirmed a Texas federal district court's refusal to grant a stay of execution. However the Supreme Court granted a stay and scheduled early oral argument in the case. (See prior posting.) Here is the SCOTUS blog case page with links to filings in the case. AP has more background. The oral arguments will be live-streamed here. I will update this post with links to the transcript and audio of the oral arguments when they become available.

UPDATE: Here are links to the transcript and audio of arguments in the case. SCOTUS blog reports on the oral arguments.