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Texas Won't Halt Executions, Despite Stay

State will stick to schedule after Supreme Court ruling

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 29, 2007 9:37 AM CDT

(Newser) – Texas officials plan to go forward with death-row executions, even as other states put them on hold in the wake of the Supreme Court's last-minute stay for Carlton Turner earlier this week. More stays like Turner's are expected in Texas as the court deliberates on the legality of lethal injections, reports the New York Times.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule sometime next year on whether the chemical formula of lethal injections violates the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the constitution. Eleven states have stopped executions, but in Texas, officials insist that they "will continue to address each scheduled execution on a case-by-case basis," a course of action likely to invite more appeals.

Alabama's lethal injection chamber at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., is pictured in this Oct. 7, 2002 file photo. Anti-death penalty forces have gained momentum in the past few years,... (Associated Press)

FILE ** Alabama's lethal injection chamber at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., is pictured in this Oct. 7, 2002 file photo. Alabama has joined a growing list of Southern states facing court... (Associated Press)

This photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows death row inmate Carlton Turner Jr. who is scheduled for execution at the Texas prison in Huntsville, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007.... (Associated Press)

UPDATES lethal injection statistics with latest numbers; graphic shows states that use lethal injection and shows how many times lethal injection has been used in the U.S (Associated Press)

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Texas Won't Halt Executions, Despite Stay

State will stick to schedule after Supreme Court ruling

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