Updated

The US Supreme Court overturned a last-minute stay that had blocked the execution of Christa Pike, 50, clearing the way for what would be Tennessee's first execution of a woman in 200 years. During the subsequent execution attempt, two syringes of the drug pentobarbital were administered before Pike reportedly survived the lethal injection process and was taken to hospital, according to one of her attorneys. The case has drawn national attention both for the rarity of a female execution in Tennessee and for the unusual circumstances surrounding the botched procedure, raising fresh questions about lethal injection protocols in the United States.