Split High Court Votes for Ala. Execution, Nixes Stay (1)

In the middle of the night, U.S. Supreme Court justices broke down along the usual 5-4 line to rule against a death row inmate in the latest battle in their capital punishment war.

“Should anyone doubt that death sentences in the United States can be carried out in an arbitrary way, let that person review the following circumstances as they have been presented to our Court this evening,” Justice Stephen G. Breyer began his dissent for the four Democratic-appointees, lambasting the majority’s order vacating execution stays granted by lower courts to Christopher Lee Price.

Giving some behind the scenes views ...