Christa Pike’s execution temporarily halted, as Tennessee seeks to put to death first woman in 200 years

Updated on: September 30, 2026 / 12:05 PM EDT / CBS News

A United States district court has temporarily stayed the execution of Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee's death row, just hours before she was scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Wednesday.

Although the execution has been halted, it could still proceed later Wednesday, an attorney for Pike said, as the state quickly asked the U.S. Supreme Court to override the last-minute district court order. If it does happen, Pike would become the only woman executed in Tennessee in the last 200 years.

"We will continue to advocate for the lawfully-imposed sentence as the courts work through this technical issue," said Phil Buehler, a spokesperson for Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who submitted the request to the Supreme Court. CBS News has also reached out to the Tennessee Department of Correction.

In granting the stay, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that a "short" pause on the execution proceedings was needed in order to resolve new claims from Pike's legal team, which argued that counsel in her initial criminal case failed to properly introduce her extensive childhood experiences with abuse into their defense…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/