Emergency application · Capital case
Death row appeal deadlines
Benjamin Ritchie v. Ron Neal, Warden
What did the Court do?
The Court denied the request on May 19, 2025 and refused to halt the execution.
Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case. Justice Sotomayor and Justice Jackson would have ruled the other way.
What's being asked
Ritchie, a death-row prisoner, asked the Supreme Court to pause his execution while it considered whether to hear his case. Ritchie says his federal post-conviction lawyers had a conflict and later abandoned him, denying him a fair chance to challenge his conviction. The Seventh Circuit upheld the denial of a pause, saying his motion to reopen the judgment came too late.
What the Court did
The Court refused emergency help: it did not pause Ritchie's execution and denied review (refused to hear his case). Justices Sotomayor and Jackson would have granted both requests; the order gives no full vote.
- Dissented
- Vote not published
What it means
This emergency ruling dealt only with a temporary pause, not whether Ritchie should win his underlying legal claims. The Seventh Circuit's ruling remains in place; the record lists no related case on the main question or argument date.
Sources
Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 24A1109. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.