Justices Set November Hearing on Religion-at-Execution Dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear argument Nov. 1 in a capital appeal involving prisoners’ rights to spiritual advisers at executions, less than two months after granting a stay to the Texas inmate at the center of the case.

The court granted the stay late Wednesday as John Ramirez’s execution neared and simultaneously moved his case off the so-called shadow docket and onto the merits docket, where it will get a fuller airing before the justices render a decision.

The Nov. 1 argument date appeared on the high court docket on Thursday.

Ramirez sought a stay because Texas officials, citing ...