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Article: Supreme Court Halts Va. Inmate's Execution; Ruling Could Lead To National Hiatus In Lethal Injections
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- October 18, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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The Supreme Court stopped the execution of Virginia death row
inmate Christopher Scott Emmett yesterday, a move that legal experts
said might signal a nationwide halt to lethal injections until the
justices decide next year whether the procedure amounts to cruel and
unusual punishment.
The court granted the stay of execution just four hours before
Emmett was to be put to death. It is the second time the justices
have stopped an execution since agreeing to decide whether lethal
injections carry the potential for pain that would violate
constitutional standards.
"I think this is a de facto moratorium," said Douglas A. Berman,
a sentencing expert at Ohio State University's law school. Since ...