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Dale Hartkemeyer, et al. v. William P. Barr, Attorney General, et al.

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, No. 20-2262 · judgment July 15, 2020

Certiorari denied · July 16, 2020

Pre-decision estimate: 10% cert probability (95% interval 5%–19%)

Before the decision, about 2.5× the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for a petition filed soon after the judgment below and counsel who has filed here before.

Question presented

Where a priest has a sacred religious duty to minister last rites to a prisoner under his pastoral care, does scheduling the prisoner’s execution during a pandemic at significant risk to the priest’s health and life violate his religious exercise rights under RFRA?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Douglas Harry Hallward-Driemeier
Ropes & Gray, LLP

For respondent
Jeffrey B. Wall
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Case

Subject area
First Amendment (estimated from the questions presented, in the Supreme Court Database’s categories)

Conference history
—

Linked docket
20A11

Order
Miscellaneous order, July 16, 2020 · Certiorari denied

Proceedings

Jul 16 2020
Application (20A11) referred to the Court.
Jul 16 2020
Petition DENIED.
Jul 16 2020
Application (20A11) denied by the Court. The application for stay of execution of sentences of death for Wesley Purkey and Dustin Honken presented to Justice Kavanaugh and by him referred to the Court is denied.
Jul 15 2020
Application (20A11) for a stay of execution of sentence of death, submitted to Justice Kavanaugh.
Main Document Lower Court Orders/Opinions
Jul 15 2020
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due August 14, 2020)
Jul 15 2020
Brief of respondents William P. Barr, et al. in opposition filed.