Duane Buck execution halted by Supreme Court

The execution of a Texas man, Duane Buck, was halted Thursday by the U.S. Supreme Court who agreed to review his lawyers' claims. Buck's lawyers argue that race played a role in his sentencing, and he should not be killed.

Buck had been scheduled to face a lethal injection Thursday evening, but the court halted the execution two hours into a six-hour window during which he could have been taken to the death chamber, the Associated Press reports.

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Buck, 48, who is African American, was convicted of shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend Debra Gardner and Kenneth Butler at her apartment in 1995, BBC reports. It was a week after Buck and Gardner broke up.

His lawyers appealed the case, arguing that a psychologist who testified at the trial, saying black men are more likely to pose a future public threat, influenced the jury's sentencing. His lawyers have demanded a new sentencing hearing.

The Supreme Court's ruling meant that Texas Gov. Rick Perry did not have to make a decision on a request by Buck's lawyers that he issue a reprieve.

"Perry is a capital punishment supporter and as frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination his actions now are coming under closer scrutiny. During his 11 years in office, 235 convicted killers in Texas have been put to death. His office said he has chosen to halt just four executions, including one for a woman who later was executed," AP states.

When Buck heard that his execution had been halted, he praised God.

"Praise the Lord, God is worthy to be praised. God's mercy triumphs over judgment. I feel good," he reportedly told Texas Department of Justice spokesman Jason Clark.