Federal court temporarily halts execution of Tennessee woman on death row

​A federal appeals court has temporarily stopped the execution of a Tennessee woman set to be the first female put to death in the state in nearly two centuries.

​Christa Pike, 50, was set to be executed Wednesday for the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer.

Pike’s lawyers have been arguing before the court and to Tennessee’s governor for her death sentence to be paused because her original trial failed to account for her history of sexual abuse and neglect as a child.  

​A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled that more time was needed to “adequately address and resolve the issues,” brought by Pike’s lawyers.

​“The interests of justice and the finality of Pike’s impending execution compel the entry of a short stay of execution in order to properly analyze the parties’ fully briefed arguments and resolve the issues on the merits,” said Senior United States Judge Jane Stranch in the ruling.

​Before Wednesday’s last-minute pause, the U.S. Supreme Court and Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, had declined to intervene to stop Pike’s execution.

The Tennessee Attorney General filed an appeal the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday morning to vacate the appeals court ruling.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

​The ruling