Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the Supreme Court’s Democratic appointees to block Alabama from executing an inmate without his pastor in the chamber.
The divided Supreme Court action late Thursday was notable not only for siding with a death-row inmate, but also for Trump-appointee Barrett’s vote in a novel lineup.
The religious adviser issue has been a rare winner for death-row inmates in recent years, though not uniformly.
The court’s latest action blocked the state from executing Willie B. Smith III as scheduled on Thursday for the 1991 murder of Sharma Ruth Johnson. The state will need to reschedule ...