Court Clears Way for First Federal Execution in 17 Years to Proceed

WASHINGTON — The first federal inmate in 17 years is set to be put to death on Monday, barring a last-minute stay, after a federal appeals court ruled on Sunday that the Justice Department could carry out the execution as planned.

Daniel Lewis Lee, 47, was sentenced to death decades ago for his part in the 1996 murder of a family of three. Family members of Mr. Lee’s victims had sued the Justice Department, arguing that they could not safely travel to witness the execution because of the coronavirus. A federal judge in Indiana, where the execution will take place, suspended the plan late Friday, but the decision on Sunday by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit put it back on track.

The family plans to appeal to the Supreme Court, which would have to act before 4 p.m. Monday to stop the execution.

The Trump administration announced in July 2019 its campaign to bring back the federal death penalty from what had been a de facto moratorium. But legal challenges to the federal government’s proposed execution protocol delayed the procedures. Less than a month ago, the Justice Department renewed that push, scheduling four executions this summer, all of which were of inmates convicted of murdering children. Three, including Mr. Lee, are scheduled to die this week.