If I’m ever on death row I want all the options there. I’m a Methodist, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Baptist, Mormon, Satanic, Hindu, Wiccan, Taoist. I also worship Danny Devito. And I damn sure better get representatives from all of them.
Between this and the last meal being an all you can eat buffet I’m thinking my execution can take at least two days.
Why not just invent a religion whose last rites demand its adherents be free for at least 80 years prior to death? Hell, just invent one that demands you commit whatever crime you committed to end up in your situation.
But what if qualified Imams, monks, shamans, or whatever simply don’t make for much of a pool of applicants?
What if one or more of the above are simply a small percent of the population? What if one or more don’t have prison ministry traditions to the degree of Christianity?
Is there evidence that the state would stop carrying out executions if Christians boycotted the chaplain role? Do they allow non-employed (with the state/prison) pastors to enter the actual execution chamber?
To be even more clear, I see multiple stories reporting his as a request to have HIS spiritual advisor present in the chamber. I am under the impression that Christians don’t get do that either. They must use a chaplain, and don’t get to use pastor Bob recommended by aunt Betty.
I’m kind of happy this is being reported as a religious issue instead of a racial one. I think the Muslim guy was black, and the other guy appears to be white. I’m surprised it’s not being claimed that only white people get religious choice.
The follow up stories show he requested a state appointed one in absence of his.
It was broached as a racial issue on the side. The main story is the SCOTUS opinion suddenly being different with the only changed variable being race and religion
Just looked at this. If that’s accurate, it’s hard to believe the guy is being killed.
I still can’t wrap my head around the conservatives on the court being the ones to weaken religious liberties and the liberals trying to protect it. Weird ass times.
At least Kav came to the conclusion he rests at now that the black Muslim guy was killed.
Because inmates of other religious denominations are provided with clerics, he wrote, allowing Murphy to have a Buddhist spiritual adviser by his side in the death chamber infringes on his religious freedom
According to Kav’s opinion he made this latest because Texas specifically only allows Muslim and Christian chaplains within the chamber. As his opinion seems to read, it seems-state employed or not-it was setup so that only Muslim and Christian advisers could be in the chamber.
“In this case, the relevant Texas policy allows a Christian or Muslim inmate to have a state-employed Christian or Muslim religious adviser present either in the execution room or in the adjacent viewing room,” Kavanaugh continued.
Buddhists or members of other denominations, he noted, “can have the religious adviser present only in the viewing room and not in the execution room itself for their executions. In my view, the Constitution prohibits such denominational discrimination.”
The only difference in the Alabama case is it doesn’t allow muslims. Just christians.
I wonder why he didn’t have that view with Ray. Hopefully it wasn’t because he’s a black Muslim.
Wasn’t stuff like religious freedom how people swallowed voting for Trump to lock down SCOTUS?
What a bizarre turn of events when the conservatives aren’t touching abortion AND the liberals ate the ones trying to defend religion.
Where does it state that Alabama wouldn’t allow a state employed Muslim adviser into the chamber?
It’s the basis for Rays entire SCOTUS appeal?
They asked for a state appointed adviser if his personal one couldn’t be let in.
SCOTUS actually wouldn’t even entertain the religious angle for Ray. They called it procedural (blows my mind that timing procedure can overrule what obviously just applied to a Buddhist).
Edit: from the article I posted up thread
On the surface, the court’s belief that Murphy’s request was timelier than Ray’s might seem plausible. Murphy asked for a spiritual adviser one month before his execution date, while Ray asked for one less than two weeks prior to his execution on Feb. 7. But Ray did not discover that he could not have his imam present until Jan. 23. That’s because Alabama statute states that an inmate’s spiritual adviser of choice “may be present at an execution,” and Ray understandably assumed that law authorized his imam to “be present” at his execution. It wasn’t until Jan. 23 that the state provided Ray with confidential regulations that only allow a Christian chaplain in the execution chamber. After Ray discovered this secret rule, he filed his federal lawsuit in five days, seeking a stay of execution until he could secure his imam’s presence. As Cassy Stubbs, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Capital Punishment Project, told Slate, “there is no evidence that Ray sat on the claim or was dilatory in any way
.”
The timing of his request and the ability to meet his request was the issue after wasting time requesting a personal advisor.
Kav is saying Texas literally and explicitly does not allow anyone but Muslims (yes, muslims) and Christians into the chamber regardless of employment.
“Kav lets black people die” is silly.
Lol.
That is correct. Also, Alabama doesn’t allow anyone but christians in.
Agreed. I think it was always much more likely he’d just ignore the rights of other religions. He didn’t seem like a race guy to me.
The second story is about a Buddhist…
I’m sure Buddhists are happy to know SCOTUS has their back. Obviously not Muslims, but it’s a good day to be a Buddhist.
Edit: fwiw, I applaud Kav in this example. There’s 4 other conservative SC members that didn’t flip like he did
Muslims can already have a state employed chaplain present in the chamber.
In Texas, ofc. Just not in Alabama.
Where has that been demonstrated? Sorry, the ACLU isn’t convincing to me. Even that statement admits, oddly enough, that the prisoner wasted time requesting a personal advisor. Then took 5 days to file after his personal advisor was denied (like anyone else).
So, what, 9 days roughly prior?
If he doesn’t care about “other religions…”
The guy in the second story is a buddhist!
In Alabama.
Like I said. I give him props for flipping after the intense public backlash, notably from other conservatives.
My issue is with the other 4 that denied both. Although I guess at least they were consistent