US Supreme Court allows execution of Christa Pike to go ahead
The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for the execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, overturning a previous stay granted by a lower court. Pike, who has been on death row since 1996, would be the first woman executed in the state in over two centuries.
Why it matters
The case highlights ongoing legal debates surrounding the death penalty and the role of the Supreme Court in state-level judicial processes.
Image source, Tennessee Department of Corrections By Sareen Habeshian Published 1 October 2026 The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for Tennessee inmate Christa Pike to be executed, overturning a last-minute reprieve.
The killing by lethal injection was scheduled to happen earlier on Wednesday before judges from the Sixth Circuit Appeals court halted the execution. Tennessee's attorney general then immediately requested the Supreme Court to overrule the stay.
Pike, 50, has been awaiting execution since she was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer.
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