Two Arkansas death row inmates, Bruce Ward and Don Davis, will not be executed tonight. The Arkansas Supreme Court this afternoon granted stays of executions for the two inmates by a vote of 4-3. The Arkansas Times reports that lawyers for the men asked the high court for the stay while the U.S. Supreme Court takes up a separate case next week concerning access to independent mental health experts by the defendants.
The executions were already on hold thanks to federal Judge Kristine Baker’s preliminary injunction, which was issued Saturday. The state is appealing that ruling in the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.