The Supreme Court, in an 8-1 decision, has endorsed a pastor's audible prayer and laying of hands on an inmate at the moment of his execution, siding with a Texas death-row prisoner who challenged the state's ban on the practice during lethal injection.
Chief Justice John Roberts, in an opinion joined by seven other justices, wrote that there was not a compelling government interest in denying the religious exercises, noting their extensive history in American death chambers and the availability of less-restrictive steps to ensure security and decorum in that space.The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 5, 2021.
"It's a mixed blessing," the minister, Pastor Dana Moore, told ABC News of the court's ruling,"because he [Ramirez] can receive a date [of execution]." "Congress created a potent tool with which prisoners can protect their sincerely held religious beliefs. But, like any tool, it can be wielded abusively," he wrote.The entrance to the"death chamber" at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas, is pictured on Feb. 29, 2000.
"We're attempting to minimize risk almost all the way to zero, as much as we reasonably can," Stone said.
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