Thursday, March 25, 2010

Good Morning, Hank Skinner

As Hank Skinner was being served his last meal, less than an hour before his last breath, the Supreme Court granted a stay of execution, or what is effectively a stay. I'll not fret the semantics at this point. I'm just pleased to be able to wish Hank Skinner a good morning.

The order is so brief, I'll include the body of that order in its entirety below.

The application for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice Scalia and by him referred to the Court is granted pending disposition of the petition for a writ of certiorari. Should the petition for a writ of certiorari be denied, this stay shall terminate automatically. In the event the petition for a writ of certiorari is granted, the stay shall terminate upon the sending down of the judgment of this Court.