Supreme Court weighs case of Texas inmate who wants pastor to pray over him at execution

Washington — The Supreme Court on Tuesday mulled a bid from a Texas death row inmate who is challenging the state's refusal to allow his pastor to lay hands on him and audibly pray while he is executed.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh dominated the arguments that lasted more than 90 minutes, raising concerns throughout about the degree of risk undertaken by the state in allowing outside spiritual advisers inside the execution chamber, as well as how judges should assess the sincerity of an inmate's religious beliefs, given the "incentives" to raise religious claims in order to delay being put to death.

"The risk is inherent in having another person in the room," Kavanaugh told Seth Kretzer, who was arguing on behalf of the inmate, John Henry Ramirez, in the case known as Ramirez v. Collier.