This archive report was first published on 16 July 2020.
On July 14, 2020, the US government executed Daniel Lewis Lee, 47, for his role in the murder of a family of three. The execution came just hours after the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling in the dead of night, clearing the way for the federal government to proceed with the execution.
The Supreme Court's decision overturned a lower court ruling that had delayed the execution, citing concerns about the single-drug execution protocol. The protocol, which involves the use of a single lethal injection drug, has been the subject of controversy and debate in recent years.
Mr. Lee's execution was the second federal death row execution in a week, following the execution of Wesley Ira Purkey on July 13, 2020. Mr. Purkey's lawyers had argued that he was incompetent to be executed due to schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and brain damage.
However, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the federal government's single-drug execution protocol was constitutional, clearing the way for Mr. Purkey's execution. The court's decision was met with criticism from liberal justices, who argued that the execution was unconstitutional due to concerns about Mr. Purkey's mental fitness.
