This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
On July 12, 2020, a federal appeals court ruled that the Justice Department could proceed with the execution of Daniel Lewis Lee, a 47-year-old inmate on death row for his role in the 1996 murder of a family of three.
The decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed a temporary injunction issued by a federal judge in Indiana, where the execution is set to take place.
Family members of the victims had sued the Justice Department, arguing that they could not safely travel to witness the execution due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the appeals court ruled that the family did not have a protected right to bear witness to the execution, but rather only the right to attend.
The execution is set to take place on Monday, July 13, 2020, barring a last-minute stay. The Trump administration had announced its campaign to bring back the federal death penalty in July 2019, but legal challenges had delayed the procedures.
Several family members of the victims have called for the Justice Department to commute Mr. Lee's sentence to life in prison, citing their pre-existing medical conditions and the risks associated with traveling to attend the execution.
According to the Bureau of Prisons, participants in the execution will be required to wear masks and have their temperatures checked.
