U.S. Supreme Court sides with Alabama death row inmate, declines to lift stay of execution over state’s refusal to allow clergy in chamber

A stay of execution issued by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will remain in place after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a petition to overturn it filed by the state of Alabama. The appeals court halted the execution of Willie Smith, which was scheduled for February 11, 2021, over the state’s refusal to allow Smith to be accompanied by his pastor in the execution chamber.