The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has denied Chattanoogan Lee Hall's petition to delay his execution in order for the courts to consider the possible bias of a juror who helped sentence him to death decades ago.
Hall's defense has embarked on a last-minute legal battle to overturn his conviction after they discovered information they say indicates a juror was biased at his trial. As part of that effort, the attorneys asked Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee's Supreme Court to delay the execution in order to give the courts time to examine the possible constitutional violation. They also filed motions in federal court in hopes of accomplishing the same thing.
This 2017 file photo provided by the Tennessee Department of Correction shows Lee Hall, formerly known as Leroy Hall Jr. Hall, a death row inmate. Hall is scheduled to be electrocuted Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019. Hall walked onto death row nearly three decades ago with his sight, but attorneys for the 53-year-old prisoner say he's since become functionally blind due to improperly treated glaucoma. (Tennessee Department of Correction via AP)The state's highest court denied the 53-year-old's request on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Lee did the same, as did the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
" ... the Supreme Court has told lower courts that "[l]ast-minute stays" of executions "should be the extreme exception, not the norm," the court noted in its ruling. "We see no grounds for finding that Hall's case should be that rare exception. We deny his motion to remand, his request to file a second or successive petition, and his motion to stay his execution."