%1

A wide array of nearly 30 religious groups has called upon the U.S. Supreme Court to outlaw the execution of minors. The high court is expected to hear oral arguments in a juvenile death penalty case when its new term opens in the fall.

Denominations that sometimes find little theological common ground joined on July 19 to submit a friend-of-the-court brief in Roper v. Simmons. They urged the court to heed “evolving standards of decency” and stop states from applying the death penalty to youths under 18 years old.