LATEST UPDATE: DAVIS WILL BE EXECUTED AT 11 PM EASTERN.Updated: September 21, 2011 - 7:50 PM EDT - In a stunning, head spinning turn of events, Troy Davis was given a temporary delay (not a stay) of execution by the U.S. Supreme Court. Minutes later, however, the Georgia Supreme Court is dismissing the higher court's decision.
"Death row inmate Troy Davis's hopes of a last-minute reprieve were fading after Georgia courts refused to halt the execution scheduled for 7:00 pm local time on Wednesday," reports The Guardian UK. "[Georgia's] supreme court rejected a last-ditch appeal by Davis's lawyers over the 1989 murder of off-duty policeman Mark MacPhail.... Earlier, a Butts County superior court judge also declined to stop the execution...." Full report on the Troy Davis execution drama at The Guardian UK...
The whirlwind of court decisions produced a lot of confusion. The bottom line now seems clearer, however, thanks to a report from AFP via Canada.com.
That report explains that the U.S. Supreme Court did not give an actual reprieve to Davis. Davis's attorney "told AFP that the state of Georgia was simply delaying the execution until the top U.S. court announced its decision." AFP the prison is delaying the execution "out of respect for the court."
Photograph by: Tami Chappell, Reuters
The whirlwind of court decisions produced a lot of confusion. The bottom line now seems clearer, however, thanks to a report from AFP via Canada.com.
That report explains that the U.S. Supreme Court did not give an actual reprieve to Davis. Davis's attorney "told AFP that the state of Georgia was simply delaying the execution until the top U.S. court announced its decision." AFP the prison is delaying the execution "out of respect for the court."
Photograph by: Tami Chappell, Reuters