WASHINGTON – An appeals court sided with the Trump administration Tuesday in its effort to resume executions of federal death row prisoners but sent a legal challenge by inmates back to a lower court for further review.
The decision leaves unresolved for now whether, and if so when, executions might resume. The Justice Department announced over the summer it would restart federal executions after a 16-year break and scheduled five executions.
Inmates challenged their executions and a trial court judge temporarily halted them, ruling that the federal government's execution procedure likely violates the Federal Death Penalty Act.