Wednesday and Thursday, 2026-09-30 and 2026-10-01 · · run 20261002T0224Z
Supreme Court vacates Pike execution stay
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The Supreme Court granted an application to vacate a stay of execution for Christa Pike on September 30, 2026, the Court said.
The application presented to Justice Kavanaugh and referred to the Court was granted.
The September 30, 2026 order of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit granting a stay of execution is vacated.
The State of Tennessee is set to execute Christa Pike for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer.
The Sixth Circuit issued a stay of execution to adequately address and resolve the issues presented in Pike’s pending application for relief.
Pike filed a motion to reopen the judgment denying federal habeas relief after the State represented it does not dispute the terrible things Pike suffered as a minor.
Pike argues the State’s representation concedes it engaged in gamesmanship during postconviction proceedings and tainted them.
Justice Sotomayor, with whom Justice Kagan and Justice Jackson join, dissented.
Sotomayor wrote that the Court’s decision clears the way for the State to execute Pike before still-pending legal challenges can be properly considered.
Sources
- Nelsen v. Pike Supreme Court of the United States
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