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November 22, 2019
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AP Exclusive: DOJ would take halted executions to high court

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and
COLLEEN LONG
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — At-
torney General William Barr
told The Associated Press
on Thursday that he would
take the Trump administra-
tion’s bid to restart federal
executions after a 16-year
hiatus to the Supreme
Court if necessary.
Barr’s comments came
hours after a district court
judge temporarily blocked
the administration’s plans
to start executions next
month. The administration
is appealing the decision,
and Barr said he would
take the case to the high
court if Thursday’s ruling
stands. He said the five in-
mates set to be executed
are a small portion of 62
death row inmates.
“There are people who
would say these kinds of de-
lays are not fair to the vic-
tims, so we can move for-
ward with our first group,”
Barr said aboard a govern- In this Oct. 11, 2019 file photo, a view of the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse in Washington. Associated Press
ment plane to Montana, would resume executions mates challenged the new S. Chutkan put the cases “It is greatly served by at-
after he met with local and next month, ending an in- procedures in court, argu- on ice while the challenge tempting to ensure that the
federal law enforcement formal moratorium on fed- ing that the government plays out. She said in a most serious punishment
officials in Cleveland. eral capital punishment as was circumventing proper Wednesday evening ruling is imposed lawfully,” she
The attorney general un- the issue receded from the methods in order to wrong- that the public is not served wrote.
expectedly announced in public domain. ly execute inmates quickly. by “short-circuiting” legiti-
July that the government Some of the chosen in- U.S. District Judge Tanya mate judicial process. Continued on Page 3