Under SCOTUS rules, cert in this capital case, which skipped the court of appeals, should have been granted only if "the case is of such imperative public importance as to justify deviation from normal appellate practice and to require immediate determination" by SCOTUS. (1/4) https://twitter.com/Jordan_S_Rubin/status/1350294544890425345

The reason for the grant of extraordinary relief is not apparent, and the Court does not tell us. All I can think of is a desire to ensure that the execution occurred before a change to an administration that might pursue a different policy on executions. (2/4)

The majority's political disagreement with the incoming president would not lawfully satisfy the standard of "imperative public importance." Maybe the Court had another reason. We should not be left to speculate. (3/4)

The Court then decided the merits without full briefing, argument, or opinion, over two dissents. One can agree or disagree with the dissents, but the dissenters, the condemned, and those in whose name he was killed deserve a reasoned answer to them. (fin)