Supreme Court keeps federal executions on hold

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday blocked the Trump administration from restarting federal executions next week after a 16-year break. The justices denied the administration's plea to undo a lower court ruling in favor of inmates who have been given execution dates. The first of those had been...

Supreme Court keeps hold on federal executions; 2 were scheduled for next week and 2 more in January

Blind inmate executed in Tennessee for woman's 1991 killing

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A blind prisoner convicted of killing his estranged girlfriend by setting her on fire in her car was put to death Thursday in Tennessee's electric chair, becoming only the second inmate without sight to be executed in the U.S. since the reinstatement of the nation's death penalty in...

Arkansas court won't prohibit judge from hearing AG's cases

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the state attorney general's request to prohibit a judge who demonstrated against the death penalty from handling any cases involving her office. In a 4-3 decision, justices rejected the request by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge to...

Tennessee governor not stopping planned execution Thursday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Wednesday that he won't stop the state from putting a blind inmate to death in the electric chair later this week, clearing the way for the execution unless a federal court intervenes. Lee Hall, a 53-year-old inmate who became blind from glaucoma...

Court declines to intervene in upcoming Tennessee execution

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two days before a Tennessee prisoner’s scheduled execution, the state’s Supreme Court has denied request for more time to consider the possible bias of a juror who helped hand down the original death sentence decades ago. The state’s top justices ruled Tuesday...

Tennessee death row inmate moved to death watch

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee inmate Lee Hall is on death watch in anticipation of his upcoming execution. The Department of Correction confirmed Tuesday that 53-year-old Hall had been moved to death watch late Monday. Hall is scheduled to be electrocuted Thursday. In Tennessee, inmates on death watch...

US seeks high court permission to resume federal executions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday for permission to begin executing federal inmates as soon as next week. The Justice Department said in a filing late Monday that lower courts were wrong to put the executions on hold. Attorney General William Barr announced during...

Tennessee prepares to execute blind death row inmate

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The execution of a blind man in Tennessee this week would mark only the second time in recent decades that a person without vision has been put to death in the U.S., the death row inmate’s lawyers say. Lee Hall, 53, is scheduled to be electrocuted Thursday in a state that has...

Death row inmate asks high court to intervene in execution

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee death row inmate is asking the state’s highest court to pause his upcoming execution to allow more time to consider questions surrounding the possible bias of a juror who helped hand down the original death sentence decades ago. Attorneys for 53-year-old Lee Hall...