The Supreme Court cleared the way for the federal execution of 68-year-old Wesley Purkey Thursday morning after a lower court judge halted his execution and ordered further evaluation of claims about Purkey's mental competency.
The court's order grants the government's request to lift an injunction that had blocked Purkey's execution, originally scheduled for Wednesday evening. Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan dissented in the 5-4 opinion.US District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an injunction Wednesday prohibiting the federal Bureau of Prisons from going forward with Purkey's scheduled execution.
"Read More"Though he has long accepted responsibility for his crime, he no longer has a rational understanding of why the government plans to execute him," Woodman said on Wednesday."By staying Wes's execution, the court's action signals the importance of allowing him to present the extensive, available medical evidence demonstrating his incompetency to be executed."Despite the Supreme Court's order, Purkey's attorneys continue to challenge his execution.
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