A federal judge has granted a stay of execution for Lisa Montgomery, who was set to become the first woman executed by the federal government in 67 years, but the Trump administration is appealing the decision. Two men are also scheduled to die this week. Since July, when the Trump administration revived the federal death penalty, the U.S. government has executed 10 people — more than in any presidency since 1896. “Time is running out for the Trump administration to go through with these three executions, and they know that, which is why they’re very insistent that they happen this week and not after January 20,” says Isaac Arnsdorf, a reporter at ProPublica. We also speak with Sister Helen Prejean, Catholic nun and one of the world’s leading death penalty opponents, who says Trump embarked on his late killing spree simply because “he has the power to do it.” “The death penalty needs to be abolished completely, and you have to take the power out of individuals’ hands,” she says.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
