A federal judge in Washington, DC, suspended all pending federal executions, including one that was scheduled for Monday.
“[B]Because the public is not served by a legitimate judicial process short-circuited, and is very helpful in trying to ensure that the heaviest punishment is imposed in a manner consistent with our Constitution, the court finds it in the public interest to issue a court order preliminary, “wrote US District Judge Tanya Chutkan in an order.
Daniel Lee was scheduled to be executed Monday at 4 p.m. in the first federal execution in nearly two decades. A federal appeals court ruled Sunday that the execution could proceed as scheduled, reversing an order of a lower court that had delayed execution over concerns about the coronavirus.
Monday morning’s ruling puts that on hold. The ruling is likely to bring another round of quick appeals from the government to allow executions to continue.
Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
