By: Keith Klein (Photo: Newsweek)
The only Native American on federal death row is scheduled for execution tomorrow. Unless Lezmond Mitchell gets relief from another court or is granted clemency, he will be put to death at the federal prison in Terre Haute.
Mitchell’s attorneys sought a delay from the U.S. District Court in Arizona where he was sentenced in the 2001 slayings of a 63-year-old fellow Navajo tribal member and her 9-year-old granddaughter. They argued the execution must be performed under Arizona law.
Judge David Campbell said the attorneys didn’t identify any procedures that conflict with the federal protocol when it comes to how Mitchell, who is 38, would die.
“The court, therefore, concludes that the government’s planned method of execution is not inconsistent with the salient provisions of Arizona law,” Campbell wrote.
Tribes have long been able to decide on capital punishment for a set of major crimes committed by Native Americans on tribal land. The Navajo Nation said no to executing Lezmond Mitchell, despite the grisly nature of the killings.
Butler University switched to remote learning for the first two weeks of the semester following spikes in positive COVID-19 tests and students violating protocols.
Fifty students have been charged with violating safety guidelines and may be removed from campus.
All undergraduate instruction will be remote for the first two weeks of the semester. Graduate instruction will continue as originally planned. Classes started yesterday.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is extending its ‘Ask Rose’ homework helpline hours, to help all students learning from home.
Thursdays and Fridays – students can receive math and science help from noon until 3:00 p.m. eastern.
You can also call during normal hours – 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. The number is 877-275-7673.
Rose says it is reviewing if it can continue extended hours past Friday – and if more grades can be added.