Betsey Wright, who wrote last night to object to Arkansas’s push to continue executions while federal courts consider the constitutionality of lethal injection, writes to say a court has granted a stay of the Nov. 8 execution of Arkanas Death Row inmate Don Davis. She adds that it’s time for state officials to stop pushing for executions until courts have decided this issue.

She writes: “The challenge to lethal injection has nothing to do with whether Don and others will be executed. They will be. The issue is only whether the government will inflict torture in addition to death.”

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UPDATE: A sound response from Attorney General Dustin McDaniel:

“The Attorney General will not appeal Judge Wright’s entry of a stay of Don Davis’ execution.  Many commentators and state officials have speculated that the United States Supreme Court has recently been entering stays of various executions around the country in order to allow it time to consider the Kentucky case regarding the constitutionality of the lethal injection process.  Last night, the Supreme Court stayed an execution in Mississippi just moments before it was scheduled to take place.  Although the Supreme Court still has not specifically said so, the Attorney General believes that ruling sends the clear signal that the majority of the Court intends to stay all executions until the Kentucky case is decided.  Accordingly, the Attorney General does not believe an appeal of the stay is warranted.  Furthermore, the Attorney General will neither seek to lift any pending stays of execution nor request additional execution dates until the United States Supreme Court issues a ruling in the Kentucky case.”

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