Courts Allow Executions of Stanko and Jordan

The Mississippi Supreme Court has declined to reconsider death row inmate Richard Jordan's appeal, setting his execution for June 25, while his lawyers pursue federal relief. In South Carolina, federal Judge Richard Gergel denied Stephen Stanko's last-minute request to delay his execution, scheduled for June 13, citing insufficient evidence of problems with the state's lethal injection process. Stanko's attorneys argued recent executions were mishandled and violated constitutional protections, but these claims were rejected by the courts. Both cases illustrate the ongoing legal and ethical debates over execution methods and inmates' rights, as state and federal courts have largely sided with authorities in allowing executions to proceed. Stanko was convicted in 2005 for the murders of Laura Ling and Henry Turner. Jordan's federal petition remains pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.