Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Demonstrators protest federal executions of death row inmates, in front of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., in December. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
Lisa Montgomery became on Wednesday the first female inmate to be executed since 1953, per AP.
The big picture: The 52-year-old Kansas woman was declared dead at 1:31am after having a lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, following a Supreme Court ruling late Tuesday.
- The court sided with the Trump administration in the 6-3 ruling, one day after a federal judge granted Montgomery a stay of execution hours before she was originally scheduled to die.
- The Supreme Court's three liberal justices dissented.
Of note: Montgomery's attorneys had argued that the Eighth Amendment prohibits the execution of people like Montgomery who, "due to their severe mental illness or brain damage, do not understand the basis for their executions."
For the record: Federal executions had been stalled for 16 years, until the Trump administration resumed federal capital punishment last July, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez notes.
- Montgomery was one of three inmates the Department of Justice scheduled to be executed this week — days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who's against the federal death penalty.
Background: Montgomery was convicted in 2004 for the murder of 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, cutting her baby from her stomach and kidnapping the child.
- The baby survived the 2004 attack in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore.
Go deeper: Trump's last word on executions
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.