Inmate scheduled for Friday execution loses 7th Circuit appeal
A federal prisoner scheduled to be executed Friday at the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute has failed to secure habeas relief from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Death Penalty
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Lawyers: Inmate set for Tuesday execution is seriously mentally ill, ineligible for death penalty
“Broken before she was born.” That’s how lawyers describe Lisa Marie Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row and the next person scheduled for execution. Her lawyers and advocates who cite her horrific history of childhood abuse and trauma are calling on President Donald Trump to commute her sentence to life without parole or to grant her a reprieve.
Judge halts executions unless additional COVID precautions implemented
The federal executions scheduled for next week cannot proceed unless the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute takes additional measures to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spread, a federal judge has ruled.
Appeals court vacates order delaying woman’s execution
A federal appeals court has cleared the way for the only woman on federal death row to be executed before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
Terre Haute inmates renew bid to postpone executions as COVID cases rise in prison
Two inmates are renewing their bid to postpone upcoming executions at the Terre Haute federal prison, claiming this time to have an evidentiary link between recent executions and an outbreak of COVID-19 cases among inmates.
Judge delays execution of only woman on US death row
A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row in Terre Haute, potentially setting up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
Lawyers: 2nd US inmate scheduled to be executed has COVID-19
A second federal inmate scheduled to be put to death next month in a series of executions by the Trump administration has tested positive for COVID-19, his lawyers said Friday.
US inmate scheduled to be executed tests positive for virus
A federal prisoner scheduled to be executed just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office has tested positive for coronavirus, his lawyer said Thursday.
US Supreme Court reinstates Arizona inmate’s death sentence
The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated the death sentence for an Arizona prison inmate convicted of killing a man during a 1994 robbery in Yavapai County, state prosecutors said Tuesday.
US executes Louisiana truck driver who killed daughter, 2
The Trump administration continued its series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head repeatedly against a truck’s windows and dashboard.
After 7th Circuit, SCOTUS rulings, US carries out rare presidential transition execution
The Trump administration Thursday carried out its ninth federal execution of the year in what has been a first series of executions during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years. A Texas street-gang member was put to death at at the US Penitentiary in Terre Haute for the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa more than two decades ago.
Inmate scheduled for Thursday execution asks 7th Circuit for a stay
With mere hours left before his scheduled execution, Brandon Bernard is awaiting a decision from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that could delay his death by lethal injection.
Judge declines to stop federal executions because of COVID
A federal judge in Indiana has declined to put a hold on upcoming federal executions, finding that although the executions likely present a COVID-related risk, the inmates who sued to stop the executions have not shown that they personally will be at risk of contracting the virus.
Judge denies Thursday execution stay as pause urged due to COVID
An Indiana judge has declined to stay a federal execution scheduled for Thursday at the Terre Haute federal prison. Meanwhile, another judge is considering whether the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means all upcoming executions should indefinitely be put on hold.
BOP defends COVID procedures as inmates challenge upcoming executions
Facing questions about COVID-19 protocols from an Indiana judge, the federal government is defending its plan to move forward with scheduled executions this month and next despite the continued surge of reported virus cases.
Trump cementing death penalty legacy up to Biden inauguration
As Donald Trump’s presidency winds down, his administration is ratcheting up the pace of federal executions despite a surge of coronavirus cases in prisons, announcing plans for five starting Thursday and concluding just days before the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Full 7th Circuit rejects federal execution appeal over mental capacity
In a 7-2 decision, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected a federal death row inmate’s request for an en banc rehearing after a panel of the court in October refused to stay his execution due to his claimed mental incapacity.
Judge halts federal execution after lawyers contract virus
A federal judge is temporarily blocking the federal government’s plan to execute the first female death row inmate in almost six decades after her attorneys contracted the coronavirus visiting her in prison.
US government executes man convicted of killing Texas teen
Orlando Hall was put to death at the federal prison in Terre Haute for abducting and killing the teenager, Lisa Rene. His was the eighth federal execution this year since the Trump administration revived a process that had been used just three times in the past 56 years.
Federal inmate who killed Texas teenager set to be executed
The federal government prepared Thursday to execute an inmate at the federal prison in Terre Haute who was condemned for kidnapping and raping a 16-year-old Texas girl, bludgeoning her with a shovel and burying her alive.