SCOTUS stays execution

In a 6-3 decision, the US Supreme Court issued a stay (meaning a delay) of execution Tuesday night for a Georgia death row inmate who argued that a racist juror voted to put him to death because he is black. Keith Tharpe, 59, was scheduled to die at 7 p.m. Tuesday night for the 1990 murder of his sister-in-law. The justices granted the stay while they consider whether to take up his appeal. If the justices decide not to hear the case the stay will be lifted and Tharpe will be executed. In an interview seven years after Tharpe's sentencing, the juror in question used a great deal of racist language and expressed strong racist views. Tharpe's lawyers have not argued that he is innocent of the murder, rather they have argued that a biased juror violated Tharpe's constitutional rights to a fair trial. They are saying that a juror's racial bias constitutes a violation of a defendant's rights to an impartial jury guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment. Furthermore, his attorneys argued Tharpe is ineligible for execution because he is intellectually disabled. The attorneys say he has an IQ of about 70, making him ineligible for execution under federal law, which bars the death sentence for people with intellectual disabilities. Georgia carries out its executions by lethal injection.

In Other News US President Donald Trump issued another warning to North Korea on Tuesday, saying the US is prepared to use "devastating" military action if necessary – this came as North Korea moved a small number of fighter jets, external fuel tanks and air-to-air missiles to a base on its eastern coast to boost military readiness. The move was seen in US satellite imagery. In a first for the conservative religious kingdom, Saudi Arabia has declared that women will finally be able to drive, the culmination of years of activism and appeals. The royal decree, announced live on television Tuesday, will come into effect in June next year. Saudi women will reportedly be able to apply for their own driving licenses without having to secure the permission of their male guardians. Saudi Arabia, which adheres to some of the strictest interpretations of Sunni Islam in the world, has long prevented women from taking on a larger role in its society. The 2016 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum ranked the kingdom 141 out of 144 countries on gender parity. Trailing behind Saudi Arabia were Syria, Pakistan and Yemen. As Congress turns its attention away from health care and back toward tax reform and other issues, a new poll conducted by SSRS (Social Science Research Solutions) finds most in favor of major changes to the nation's tax laws. Chip and Joanna Gaines on “Fixer Upper”, which followed the couple as they renovated homes in Waco, Texas, announced the show will conclude after Season 5. The new season is set to premiere in November.