Texas bans clergy from executions after Supreme Court ruling

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Texas bans clergy from executions after Supreme Court ruling

By JAKE BLEIBERG
April 3, 2019

DALLAS (AP) — Texas prisons will no longer allow clergy in the death chamber after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the scheduled execution of a man who argued his religious freedom would be violated if his Buddhist spiritual adviser couldn’t accompany him.

Effective immediately, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice will only permit prison security staff into the death chamber, a spokesman said Wednesday. The policy change comes in response to the high court’s ruling staying the execution of Patrick Murphy , a member of the “Texas 7” gang of escaped prisoners.

Texas previously allowed state-employed clergy to accompany inmates into the execution chamber, but its prison staff included only Christian and Muslim clerics.

In light of this policy, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Texas couldn’t move forward with Murphy’s punishment unless his Buddhist adviser or another Buddhist reverend of the state’s choosing accompanying him.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/2e871ee78aeb425385a7fda17d9423ab

[Pope George Ringo II]

1. Sometimes sticking it to the filthy heathens is just that important.

Wait until he asks for a Buddhist burial.

[MineralMan]

2. How about if the clergy just protested the very idea of the state

killing people who commit crimes? Now, that would be in line with scripture. That's my suggestion.