After the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday evening lifted the stay of execution which had been in place since last year, Mr. Callahan today asked the United States Supreme Court to stay his execution.
Mr. Callahan’s execution had been stayed since December 14, 2007. Alabama and the circuit court appear to want to force the United States Supreme Court to lift the ban on executions based on concerns about lethal injection.
The Eleventh Circuit’s opinion stands in stark contrast with the rest of the country, where prosecutors have ceased seeking execution dates and courts (including the Supreme Court) have put scheduled executions on hold until the Court decides whether the lethal injection method of execution used in Alabama and most other states violates the Constitution’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.