Supreme Court Rejects Stay for Louisiana Execution Amid Dissent

The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to halt the execution of death row inmate Jessie Hoffman in Louisiana, who was convicted of the 1996 murder and rape of Molly Elliott. Hoffman's appeal raised concerns that the state's use of nitrogen gas for his execution would interfere with his Buddhist beliefs, particularly his ability to engage in meditative breathing at the time of death. Justice Neil Gorsuch, along with the court's three liberal justices, dissented, arguing that the lower courts failed to adequately address Hoffman's religious claims under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. This execution marks Louisiana's first in 15 years and makes it the second state to use nitrogen hypoxia after Alabama. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also rejected an appeal from Edward James, who is scheduled to be executed in Florida for the 1993 murders of Betty Dick and her granddaughter, despite arguments regarding his cognitive decline due to health issues. These decisions reflect the court's ongoing stance against intervening in last-minute death penalty appeals.