Supreme Court Won’t Clear Federal Executions to Resume Dec. 9

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to clear the federal government to resume executions next week after a 16-year hiatus, rejecting a bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to lift a hold imposed by a lower court judge.

The Justice Department had sought to have the hold lifted in time for Daniel Lewis Lee to be put to death on Dec. 9.

The court as a whole gave no explanation, but the justices said they expect a federal appeals court to move with “appropriate dispatch” in the case. Conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh said they ...