U.S. carries out Trump's 11th federal execution, 1st female since 1953, after Supreme Court lifts stays

Death penalty opponents
(Image credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

The Justice Department executed Lisa Montgomery, 52, by lethal injection early Wednesday, shortly after the Supreme Court lifted two stays from lower courts. She was pronounced dead at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, at 1:31 a.m. A federal judge in Indiana had halted her execution Monday night, citing the "ample evidence that Ms. Montgomery's current mental state is so divorced from reality that she cannot rationally understand the government's rationale for her execution." Montgomery was the first woman put to death in federal custody since 1953 and the 11th federal inmate executed since President Trump lifted a 17-year hiatus on capital punishment in July.

"The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight," Montgomery's attorney Kelley Henry said in a statement. "Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.