Supreme Court blocks execution of Texas death-row inmate

[Judi Lynn]

Source: The Hill


BY TAL AXELROD - 06/16/20 08:51 PM EDT

The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked the execution of a death-row inmate in Texas who had been sentenced to die for fatally stabbing an 85-year-old woman more than 20 years ago.

The justices in an unsigned order delayed Ruben Gutierrez’s execution about an hour before he could have been put to death. Gutierrez’s attorneys had appealed to the court to temporarily halt the killing by arguing that their client’s religious rights were being violated since the prison system barred a chaplain from accompanying him in the death chamber.

“The application for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is granted pending the disposition of the petition for a writ of certiorari,” the high court ruled.

The ruling is the latest development in an ongoing debate over the presence of clergy members in rooms where prisoners are executed.

Read more: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/503091-supreme-court-blocks-execution-of-texas-death-row-inmate

[oldsoftie]

1. Easy to fix that problem. Texas. Give him his requested clergy.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. You mean they want the church in your bedroom, but not when they put someone to death?

Seems kind of uncharitable and two-sided

[Warpy]

4. I doubt they'd have a problem with a god fearin' Baptist

tellin' him all about the hell he was goin' to.

Unfortunately, some years ago one o them damn Buddhist fellas wanted a monk. Well, the great state of Texas couldn't have that, folks might think all religions were equal or somethin', so they banned all clergy instead.

That's the history of this. It's not personal, they just hate anybody who aint them.

[RobinA]

3. As A Total

death penalty opponent, I don't see much to cheer about here. The State is going to kill someone and the issue is the presence of a clergyman?