Ramirez v. Collier

{{Infobox SCOTUS case

| Litigants = Ramirez v. Collier

| ArgueDate = November 9

| ArgueYear = 2021

| DecideDate = March 24

| DecideYear = 2022

| FullName = John H. Ramirez v. Bryan Collier, Executive Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, et al.

| USVol = 595

| USPage = 411

| ParallelCitations =

| Docket = 21-5592

| OralArgument = https://www.oyez.org/cases/2021/21-5592

| Prior = Case No. 21-70004 (Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals)

| Subsequent =

| Holding = A Texas prison execution protocol banning all spiritual and religious advisors from being in an execution chamber, or touching a prisoner, during an execution is likely to violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act's religious protections.

| Majority = Roberts

| JoinMajority = Breyer, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett

| Concurrence = Sotomayor

| Concurrence2 = Kavanaugh

| Dissent = Thomas

| LawsApplied = Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act

}}

Ramirez v. Collier, 595 U.S. 411 (2022), is a United States Supreme Court case related to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Background

On July 19, 2004, 20-year-old John Henry Ramirez (June 29, 1984 – October 5, 2022),{{cite web|title=Death Row Information: John Henry Ramirez|url=https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/ramirezjohn.html|work=Texas Department of Criminal Justice|access-date=January 29, 2022}} a former United States Marine, accompanied by two female acquaintances, murdered 46-year-old convenience store worker Pablo Castro outside a Times Market in Corpus Christi, Texas. Ramirez stabbed Castro a total of twenty-nine times, resulting in his death.{{cite news|last=Chute|first=Nate|date=September 9, 2021|title=Delayed by a request for a pastor, here's what we know about John Ramirez's execution in Texas|work=Corpus Christi Caller-Times|url=https://caller.com/story/news/2021/09/09/john-ramirez-execution-pablo-castro-murder-texas-death-row-supreme-court/8255242002/|access-date=January 29, 2022}} The trio stole less than two dollars from Castro and fled the scene without entering the store.{{cite news|title=Clerk Killed While Taking Out Trash|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/93715438/clerk-killed-while-taking-out-trash/|newspaper=Tyler Morning Telegraph|date=July 21, 2004|page=3|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 29, 2022}} The two female acquaintances were captured a day later but Ramirez fled to Mexico and was not captured until 2008.{{cite news|date=September 9, 2021|title=Execution delayed for Texas prisoner who requested pastor lay hands on him|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/09/texas-death-row-prisoner-pastor-stay-of-execution|access-date=January 29, 2022}} He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death soon thereafter.{{cite news|date=December 9, 2008|title=Former Corpus Marine gets death penalty|work=KVII-TV|url=https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/former-corpus-marine-gets-death-penalty|access-date=January 29, 2022}} Ramirez's female acquaintances, Angela Rodriguez and Christina Chavez, were also convicted for their roles in the murder. Rodriguez was convicted of murder and sentenced to life with parole while Chavez was convicted of aggravated robbery and sentenced to 25 years, but was paroled in 2023.{{cite news|url=https://www.kristv.com/news/local-news/john-henry-ramirezs-murder-accomplice-granted-parole|title=John Henry Ramirez's murder accomplice granted parole|last=Chavarria|first=Monica|work=KRIS-TV|date=April 19, 2023|accessdate=January 23, 2025}}

Ramirez was originally scheduled to be executed on September 9, 2020. That warrant was withdrawn. Years prior to this, he had been scheduled for execution on February 2, 2017, but his execution was stayed by the District Court.

In 2021, Ramirez filed suit to challenge the Texas execution protocol under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act ('RLUIPA') and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, seeking to have his minister be allowed to lay hands on his body and audibly pray during the execution process. The district court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit both denied stays of execution, the latter over the dissent of Judge James L. Dennis. Ramirez then filed a petition for a writ of certiorari.{{Cite web|last=Howe|first=Amy|date=September 8, 2021|title=Court blocks execution, will weigh in on inmate's religious-liberty claims

|url=https://www.scotusblog.com/2021/09/court-blocks-execution-will-weigh-in-on-inmates-religious-liberty-claims/|access-date=December 4, 2021|website=SCOTUSblog}}

Supreme Court decision

The Supreme Court stayed Ramirez's execution shortly before it was scheduled to occur on September 8, 2021, and granted his petition for a writ of certiorari. Oral arguments were held on November 9, 2021.

On March 24, 2022, the Supreme Court announced that in an 8–1 decision that it ruled in favor of Ramirez. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, stating that Texas's denial of Ramirez's request "likely violated a federal law".{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/03/24/1088582144/supreme-court-backs-a-prisoner-who-sought-his-pastors-touch-at-the-time-of-execu|title=Supreme Court backs a prisoner who sought his pastor's touch at the time of execution|work=NPR|date=March 24, 2022|first=Nina|last=Totenberg}} The majority opinion was based on its belief that Ramirez was "likely to succeed in showing that Texas’s policy substantially burdens his exercise of religion" and further that Texas's "categorical ban..is inconsistent with his rights under RLUIPA".

Execution

On October 5, 2022, Ramirez was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit. Before his death, Ramirez's spiritual advisor Dana Moore said a prayer while his right hand was on Ramirez's chest.{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-texas-prisons-religion-prayer-9d424be517314cbf2b59543a22d47fa4|title=Texas executes inmate who fought prayer, touch rules|author1=Juan Lozano |author2=Michael Graczyk |work=Associated Press News|date=October 5, 2022}}