The Supreme Court sided with a condemned Texas inmate who said he’s entitled to have a Christian chaplain present in the death chamber, vacating an appeals court ruling against him.
It’s a rare win for an inmate facing execution, following the high court majority’s serial rejection of federal inmates’ claims over the past several months. But it won’t necessarily spare him from the ultimate punishment.
It’s also the latest case pitting religious claims—which a majority of the court has broadly favored—against capital claims—which it has not.
In a summary order on Monday, the justices said a Texas trial court must ...