From USA Today:
AUSTIN -- A federal appeals court in New Orleans on Wednesday halted the execution of Texas killer Scott Panetti, whose case has sparked a global debate over whether people with severe mental illnesses should be put to death for their crimes.
Panetti's lawyers say he is too delusional to be executed. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a reprieve less than eight hours before Panetti was set to receive a lethal injection. The court said it needed more time to "allow us to fully consider the late-arriving and complex legal questions at issue in this matter."
The court said oral arguments would be scheduled in the case. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court halted his execution and called for another review of Panetti's competency. Last year, the appeals court had determined that Panetti was sufficiently competent to be executed.
http://www.usatoday.com/...
Oh thank FSM. This is the guy who called Jesus, the Pope and John F. Kennedy as witnesses in his murder trial. It's absurd that he was allowed to represent himself in the first place. The execution of the insane is so morally objectionable, it is beyond words. Big thanks to the appeals court in New Orleans.