The Latest: Prison employee describes buy of execution drug

In this Monday evening, April 17, 2017 photo, the sun sets behind clouds over an Arkansas State Police command post outside the Varner Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction near Varner, Ark. As state officials prepare to carry out a double execution Thursday ahead of a drug expiration deadline and despite the setback the U.S. Supreme Court delivered late Monday, lawyers for those condemned men look to be taking a different approach: claiming the prisoners are actually innocent.

The Latest: Arkansas inmates petition US Supreme Court

In this Monday evening, April 17, 2017 photo, the sun sets behind clouds over an Arkansas State Police command post outside the Varner Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction near Varner, Ark. As state officials prepare to carry out a double execution Thursday ahead of a drug expiration deadline and despite the setback the U.S. Supreme Court delivered late Monday, lawyers for those condemned men look to be taking a different approach: claiming the prisoners are actually innocent.

Arkansas inmates set to die Thursday claim innocence

Lawyers for Arkansas inmates condemned to die Thursday in a planned double execution are claiming they are innocent and one of them says advanced DNA techniques could show he didn't kill a woman in 1993. Their strategy to win stays of execution is in marked contrast to the first two inmates who faced the death chamber in Arkansas and were spared Monday by arguing they should not be put to death because of mental health issues.

Arkansas’ rush to wholesale executions: Our view

Arkansas' rush to wholesale executions: Our view Despite 11th-hour rulings, double executions are slated for both this week and next. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2pzeatV The beat-the-clock spectacle unfolding in Arkansas, triggered by the state's unprecedented scheme to carry out wholesale executions before the shelf life of a lethal injection drug expires, demonstrates more than ever how the death penalty in America is becoming less and less workable.

US Supreme Court blocks Arkansas execution

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a last-minute request from Arkansas state authorities for permission to carry out its first execution in more than a decade. The U.S. high court decision is the latest in a flurry of legal setbacks to the southeastern state's original plan to carry out eight executions between April 17 and 27, an unprecedented pace.

Newly Confirmed Supreme Court Judge Neil Gorsuch Grills Lawyers About …

In his first day hearing Supreme Court arguments newly confirmed judge Neil Gorsuch instantly and with ease jumped in and began grilling attorneys with questions about statutory law and how it applied to their arguments. The justices, with the exception of the usually silent Clarence Thomas, are known for their aggressive questioning, and Gorsuch showed no qualms about jumping right in.

Arkansas vows to keep pushing for executions despite setback

Arkansas officials are vowing to carry out a double execution later this week after the U.S. Supreme Court scuttled the state's plan to resume capital punishment for the first time in nearly 12 years with a ruling minutes before a condemned man was scheduled to die. The court's decision late Monday was the second time Don Davis had been granted a reprieve- he was within hours of death in 2010.

Supreme Court refuses to allow Arkansas execution

The US Supreme Court has spared the life of an Arkansas inmate at the last minute, scuttling efforts to resume the death penalty in the state after nearly 12 years with a plan to carry out four double executions before its supply of a lethal injection drug expired. The court's decision to maintain the stay for Don Davis capped a chaotic day of legal wrangling in state and federal courts to clear the primary obstacles Arkansas faced to carrying out its first executions since 2005.

Supreme Court rejects appeal for Latin American refugees seeking U.S. asylum

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected pleas for review hearings from more than 60 Central American women and children who are facing immediate deportation -- handing a legal victory to President Donald Trump 's administration as it steps up efforts to enforce federal immigration laws. The high court refused to hear the asylum seekers' case Monday, leaving in place a lower court ruling that denied their appeal to have their cases considered by an independent federal hearing.

The Latest: Arkansas court blocks execution of 2 inmates

A divided Arkansas Supreme Court granted stays of executions for two Arkansas inmates while the U.S. Supreme Court takes up a separate case next week concerning access to independent mental health experts by defendants. The Arkansas court ruled 4-3 Monday to block the executions for Bruce Ward and Don Davis, who were originally scheduled to be put to death Monday night, though stays had been issued in separate court cases challenging their executions and six others planned this month.