Federal appeals court overturns order delaying Ross execution News
Federal appeals court overturns order delaying Ross execution

[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit [official website] has lifted a restraining order preventing the execution of Connecticut serial killer Michael Ross [About.com profile], but said that the execution should be delayed until Ross' father can appeal to the Supreme Court. Ross received the death penalty after confessing to murdering eight women and is trying to have his execution proceed, but his father and public defenders are now arguing that Ross was not mentally competent [JURIST report] to waive his appeals. In its Friday ruling, the 2nd Circuit said that it could find no case law establishing the right of the relative of a death row inmate to challenge the inmate's sentence on their own behalf. AP has more. The Hartford Courant has local coverage.

2:48 PM ET – The 2nd Circuit opinion [PDF text] is now available.