{"html":"\t\n\t\u003C!-- Advertisement Script --\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022postid-369487 scrolltrace textContainer_Truncate\u0022 articlelisttitle=\u0022Executing Lisa Montgomery Would Be One of Trump\u2019s Final Cruelties\u0022 articlelistlinks=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/society\/lisa-montgomery-execution\/\u0022 article-post-id=\u0022369487\u0022 article-keyword=\u0022\u0027anti-death\u0027, \u0027sexism\u0027\u0022 article-subject=\u0022\u0027criminal-j\u0027, \u0027death-pena\u0027, \u0027jails-and-\u0027, \u0027law\u0027, \u0027society\u0027, \u0027the-consti\u0027\u0022 article-authors=\u0022\u0027victoria-l\u0027\u0022\u003E\n\t\n\t\t\u003Carticle id=\u0022url-title\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv id=\u0022tn_pixel_369487_1\u0022 style=\u0027height:0px; width:0px;\u0027\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv id=\u0022tn_pixel_369487_2\u0022 style=\u0027height:0px; width:0px;\u0027\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u003Cheader 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class=\u0022article_title hide\u0022\u003EExecuting Lisa Montgomery Would Be One of Trump\u2019s Final Cruelties\u003C\/h1\u003E\u003Ch1 class=\u0022title\u0022\u003EExecuting Lisa Montgomery Would Be One of Trump\u2019s Final Cruelties\u003C\/h1\u003E\u003Ch2 class=\u0027subtitle\u0027\u003EFor the first time in 67 years, the federal government is set to execute a woman.\u003C\/h2\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022byline\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Ch2 class=\u0022author_name\u0022\u003EBy \u003Ca class=\u0022author\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/victoria-law\/\u0022\u003EVictoria Law\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch4 class=\u0022time is-today article_pub_time\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\tToday 12:29 pm\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003C!--\u003Cul class=\u0022article-share\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca class=\u0022social-share fb\u0022 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sms\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Esms\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share bookmark tn-sfg-add-to-list hide\u0022 onclick=\u0022tnAddToReadingList(this, 369487)\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBookmark\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E \t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/header\u003E\n\n\u003Csection class=\u0022article-body  abody-369487 keep-reading \u0022\u003E\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022article-body-inner\u0022\u003E\n\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left full-width-mobile image wide indent\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca class=\u0022gallery imgHover\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/fed-executions-indiana.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Protester Sylvester Edwards holds a sign up opposing the death penalty from across the street from the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind., Thursday, Sept. 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data-sheets-userformat=\u0022{\u0022\u003EDid you know you can support \u003Cem\u003EThe Nation\u003C\/em\u003E by drinking wine? \u003C\/span\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022cta\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenationwineclub.com\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn btn_5000b2 para_one_button\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022LEARN MORE\u0022 style=\u0022\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbackground-color:#dd3333;color:#ffffff;\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003Cscript\u003Eparagraph_module[369487] = [{\u0022order\u0022:\u00225\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-festival\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u0022\u0022},{\u0022order\u0022:\u00224\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-festival\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u0022\u0022},{\u0022order\u0022:\u00222\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-subscribe\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u00221\u0022},{\u0022order\u0022:\u00223\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-donate\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u0022\u0022},{\u0022order\u0022:\u00221\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-festival\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u0022\u0022},{\u0022order\u0022:\u00226\u0022,\u0022event_name\u0022:\u0022paragraph-1-wineclub\u0022,\u0022user_logged_in\u0022:\u0022\u0022}];\u003C\/script\u003E \u003Cp\u003EFrom a young age, Lisa Marie Montgomery endured brutal physical and sexual assaults at the hands of her mother and stepfather, leading to severe mental illness. Now, 52, she is set to be the first woman executed by the federal government in 67 years.\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022ad right most-popular-plus-ad grey_back\u0022\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv align=\u0022center\u0022 id=\u0022thenation_right_rail_369487\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t  \u003Cscript data-cfasync=\u0022false\u0022 type=\u0022text\/javascript\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\tfreestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplacementName: \u0022thenation_right_rail\u0022, \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tslotId: \u0022thenation_right_rail_369487\u0022,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttargeting:{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_author: [\u0027victoria-l\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_articleid: [369487],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_ptype: \u0027article\u0027,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_keyword: [\u0027anti-death\u0027, \u0027sexism\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_subject: [\u0027criminal-j\u0027, \u0027death-pena\u0027, \u0027jails-and-\u0027, \u0027law\u0027, \u0027society\u0027, \u0027the-consti\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t});\n\t\t\t\t\t  \u003C\/script\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2004, Montgomery contacted Bobbie Jo Stinnett, a dog breeder who was eight months pregnant. On the pretext of buying a puppy, Montgomery, who lived in Kansas, drove to Stinnett\u2019s Missouri home. Montgomery strangled Stinnett, cut open her abdomen, and removed her fetus. She took the baby home and told her husband that she had gone into labor while shopping.\n\u003Cp\u003EShe was arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced to death in federal court. (The baby was returned to Stinnett\u2019s husband.) Montgomery is the only woman on federal death row.\u003Cdiv id=\u0022ConnatixPlaceholder\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn July 2020, after a nearly 20-year hiatus, the federal government resumed executions. Since then, it has killed seven people. An eighth man, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hrlibrary.umn.edu\/cases\/77-09.html\u0022\u003EOrlando Cordia Hall\u003C\/a\u003E, is scheduled to die November 19, and a ninth, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.helpsavebrandon.com\/\u0022\u003EBrandon Bernard\u003C\/a\u003E, to be executed on December 10. Montgomery\u2019s execution date is set for December 8, a parting cruelty from the Trump administration. If the execution can be delayed until inauguration, Montgomery will likely live. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/joebiden.com\/justice\/\u0022\u003Eend the federal death penalty\u003C\/a\u003E.\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Department of Justice, when announcing her execution, labeled her action an \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/executions-scheduled-two-federal-inmates-convicted-heinous-murders\u0022\u003Eespecially heinous murder\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d When viewed on their own, Montgomery\u2019s actions are horrific and seemingly senseless. But viewed in the context of her life, which was riddled with physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, we should ask whether a mentally ill person who has suffered a lifetime of devastating trauma and violence\u2014and been failed repeatedly by various systems\u2014should be put to death.\n\u003Cp\u003EThe majority of women in prison have \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/other\/prison-rape-elimination-act-2003-prea\u0022\u003Eexperienced physical and sexual abuse before arrest\u003C\/a\u003E. Even so, Montgomery\u2019s life is extreme and grisly. Her mother Judy Shaughnessy abused all of her children. \u201cYou never felt like you were safe,\u201d Diane Mattingly, Montgomery\u2019s half-sister, told me. \u201cAt any moment, she would turn on you.\u201d She recalled instances when her stepmother would strip her naked and push her out of the house. She also recalled multiple instances when Shaughnessy\u2019s adult friends repeatedly raped her. Despite the ongoing abuse, Mattingly attempted to protect her younger sister from Shaughnessy\u2019s violence.\u003Caside class=\u0022right hidden-on-mobile most-popular-plus-ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022most-popular hover_b_remove thenation-single-article-most-popular\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/aside\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022inline-counter\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut when Mattingly was 8 years old, social workers took her away. \u201cI thought it was because they knew what was going on in the home,\u201d she said\u003Cem\u003E. \u003C\/em\u003EShe later learned that her removal was because of her father\u2019s abandonment and her stepmother\u2019s lack of legal guardianship. Four-year-old Lisa and their baby sister, Patty, were left behind.\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left indent indents current-issue\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Ch4\u003ECurrent Issue\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022current-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/issue\/november-30-december-7-2020-issue\/\u0022 class=\u0022no-target-blank\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/cover1130.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022\/\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022current-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/issue\/november-30-december-7-2020-issue\/\u0022 class=\u0022textred-highlighted\u0022\u003EView our current issue\u003C\/a\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022magazine_text\u0022 id=\u0022magazine_text_369487\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022cta magazine_button\u0022 id=\u0022magazine_button_369487\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cscript \u003E\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tvar magazine_text_369487            = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar magazine_button_text_369487     = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar magazine_button_url_369487      = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar magazine_button_bg_color_369487 = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tvar is_user_logged_in = getCookie(\u0027SESSname\u0027);\t\t\t\tif( is_user_logged_in != null ){\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_text_369487 = \u0027\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan id=\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022socialHighlighted\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan 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class=\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022socialButtonHighlight\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022clickheresocial\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EIf you like this article, please give today to help fund \u003Cem\u003EThe Nation\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019s work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0027;\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_text_369487 = \u0027\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022\u003E\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn btn_ffcf0d\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022Donate\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0027;\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_url_369487 = 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){\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_text_369487\u0022).html(magazine_text_369487);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_button_text_369487 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_button_369487\u0022).html(magazine_button_text_369487);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_button_url_369487 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_button_369487 a\u0022).attr(\u0022href\u0022,magazine_button_url_369487);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_button_bg_color_369487 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_button_369487 a input\u0022).css(\u0022background\u0022,magazine_button_bg_color_369487);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/script\u003E\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003EMonths later, Shaughnessy moved in with Jack Kleiner, who would strip the girls naked before beating them. When Montgomery was in eighth grade, he began raping her. Shaughnessy didn\u2019t intervene; instead, according to multiple court documents, she allowed other adult men to rape her daughter as well.\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen they heard about the abuse, people in authority repeatedly failed to intervene. Montgomery confided in her cousin, a deputy sheriff; he told her to tell the police but did nothing himself. A social worker assigned to investigate allegations of Kleiner\u2019s sexual abuse referred the case to local prosecutors, but they failed to follow up. Later, Shaughnessy cited Kleiner\u2019s sexual abuse of Montgomery as one of her reasons for divorce. The divorce court called her failure to protect \u201cinexcusable\u201d but did not report the abuse to child welfare or other authorities.\n\u003Cp\u003EThe continual physical abuse took its toll. Montgomery began suffering seizures and neurological dysfunction, which doctors later attributed to repeated head injuries inflicted by her mother, stepfather, and stepbrother.\n\u003Cp\u003EAt age 18, under pressure from her mother and new stepfather, Montgomery married her 25-year-old stepbrother, Carl Boman, who, according to multiple court documents, also physically and sexually abused her. By then, the cumulative effects of a lifetime of trauma began to show. Montgomery increasingly exhibited signs of disassociation and depression. After the birth of her fourth child, possibly coerced by her mother and husband, Montgomery had a tubal ligation. Her mental health continued to deteriorate and, several times, despite her sterilization, she believed she was pregnant, even buying a crib and other baby items.\n\u003Cp\u003EMontgomery divorced Boman and remarried. She told her second husband that she was pregnant. Meanwhile, Boman filed for custody of their children and threatened to expose her imaginary pregnancy.\n\u003Cp\u003EThat was when Montgomery drove to Stinnett\u2019s house, killed her, and took her baby.\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022ad-300\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv align=\u0022center\u0022 id=\u0022thenation_article_indent\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t  \u003Cscript data-cfasync=\u0022false\u0022 type=\u0022text\/javascript\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t  freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ \n\t\t\t\t\tplacementName: \u0022thenation_article_indent\u0022, \n\t\t\t\t\tslotId: \u0022thenation_article_indent\u0022,\n\t\t\t\t\ttargeting:{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_author: [\u0027victoria-l\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_articleid: [369487],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_ptype: \u0027article\u0027,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_keyword: [\u0027anti-death\u0027, \u0027sexism\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_subject: [\u0027criminal-j\u0027, \u0027death-pena\u0027, \u0027jails-and-\u0027, \u0027law\u0027, \u0027society\u0027, \u0027the-consti\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \u003C\/script\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\t\n\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003EAt trial, Montgomery\u2019s attorneys failed to provide evidence of the extreme violence that had shaped her life. And they did not ask about this when they called Montgomery\u2019s sister and cousin to the witness stand. Federal prosecutors dismissed the beatings, rapes, and ensuing mental illness as an “abuse excuse.” Montgomery was convicted and sentenced to death in 2007.\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn death penalty cases, the death penalty is never mandatory,\u201d Sandra Babcock, faculty director of the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty, told me. Instead, it is at the discretion of the prosecutor. In Montgomery\u2019s case, that prosecutor was Alberto Gonzales, known for his \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/seattle-news\/alberto-gonzales-position-on-death-penalty-criticized\/\u0022\u003Eoverzealous pursuit of capital punishment\u003C\/a\u003E, and his support for warrantless wiretapping and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/archive\/legacy-torture\/\u0022\u003Etorture\u003C\/a\u003E as George W. Bush\u2019s White House counsel and, later, his attorney general.\n\u003Cp\u003EProponents of capital punishment argue that it serves as a deterrent. But \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2014\/04\/30\/theres-still-no-evidence-that-executions-deter-criminals\/\u0022\u003Ethere\u2019s no evidence that the threat of execution prevents violence\u003C\/a\u003E. Babcock also noted women who have committed similar acts and are severely mentally ill do not consider possible punishment. Of the 18 women convicted of similar crimes (in state and federal court), only Montgomery has been sentenced to death.\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left indent indents related-oneup\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\u003Ch4\u003ERelated Article\u003C\/h4\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022oneup-blocks\u0022\u003E  \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022oneup-block-img\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/society\/federal-death-penalty\/\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/billie-allen-img-1.jpg?scale=228&compress=80\u0022 alt=\u0022The Nation\u0022\/\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/society\/federal-death-penalty\/\u0022 class=\u0022related-oneup-click\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch5\u003EA Plea From Federal Death Row: \u2018We Need You to Raise Your Voices\u2019\u003C\/h5\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022author\u0022\u003EBillie Allen\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\n \n \n \n\u003Cp\u003ESince her incarceration, Montgomery has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and borderline personality disorder and prescribed a course of medications to treat her illnesses.\n\u003Cp\u003EWith all appeals exhausted, Montgomery is seeking clemency or a commutation from death to life imprisonment. Her clemency petition was due on November 15, a deadline that a new team of attorneys was racing to meet. On November 12, however, Montgomery\u2019s attorneys said that they had contracted Covid-19 from repeated trips to the prison in Fort Worth, Tex., to prepare Montgomery\u2019s petition. (Because of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1EPswUcfY3HuaCVe11aHbcYEmjeSaVzjm\/view\u0022\u003Eseverity of their illnesses\u003C\/a\u003E, I was unable to speak with either attorney.) The Trump administration rejected their request for a reprieve. Babcock and other attorneys affiliated with Cornell have filed a lawsuit asking the federal court for a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1qfyewYWi0NVdcR6yvZdrPdx7atW5k6Rs\/view\u0022\u003Etemporary restraining order\u003C\/a\u003E against Montgomery\u2019s execution until her attorneys have recovered and can effectively prepare and submit her clemency application.\n\u003Cp\u003EDespite being very ill, Montgomery’s attorneys filed a placeholder petition, or a petition to extend the deadline for her clemency application. In their petition, they note that Montgomery is only allowed a crayon and a single piece of paper, and that she had to sign the petition authorization with her hands shackled.\n\u003Cp\u003EThe travesty of executing a woman who has been brutalized throughout her life has sparked an outcry. More than \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org\/project\/savelisa\/lisa-montgomery-11-11-2020-final-prosecutors-sign-on-letter-in-support-of-sentence-commutation-with-signatures\/\u0022\u003E40 current and former prosecutors\u003C\/a\u003E as well as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org\/project\/savelisa\/2020-11-10-final-garnett-zimmerman-letter\/\u0022\u003Etwo state prosecutors\u003C\/a\u003E who have prosecuted women for similar crimes have signed on to letters supporting her clemency, noting that her crime\u2014while horrific\u2014was the result of severe mental illness caused by decades of extreme abuse and that the death penalty was inappropriate. Another 900 organizations and advocates, including \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org\/project\/savelisa\/lisa-montgomery-11-11-2020-final-anti-trafficking-org-sign-on-letter-11-10-20\/\u0022\u003Eanti-trafficking\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org\/project\/savelisa\/anti-violence-letter-11-11-2020-final\/\u0022\u003Eanti-violence\u003C\/a\u003E organizations, also oppose her execution. But Trump, who has repeatedly \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/politics\/2018\/02\/donald-trump-wants-to-execute-drug-dealers-lets-talk-about-all-the-reasons-why-thats-a-terrible-idea\/\u0022\u003Ecalled for the death penalty for selling drugs\u003C\/a\u003E and whose administration denied Montgomery\u2019s request for a reprieve, is unlikely to have a change of heart.\t\t\n\t\t\u003Caside id=\u0022inline_cta_2_module_369487\u0022 class=\u0022inline-cta-2\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022inline-cta-blocks\u0022 id=\u0022inline_cta_2_369487\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022cta\u0022 id=\u0022inline_cta_2_btn_369487\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cscript \u003E\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_2_text_369487            = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_2_button_text_369487     = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_2_url_369487             = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_2_bg_color_369487        = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_2_font_color_369487      = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar cta_2_check_369487  = false;  \n\t\t\tvar is_user_logged_in = getCookie(\u0027SESSname\u0027);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tif( is_user_logged_in != null ){\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tinline_cta_2_text_369487 = \u0027\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGive a gift subscription today!\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKnow someone who would like \u003Cem\u003EThe Nation\u003C\/em\u003E?\u003C\/p\u003E\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tinline_cta_2_font_color_369487 = \u0027#ffffff\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tinline_cta_2_button_text_369487 = \u0027\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022\u003E\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022GIVE A GIFT\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tinline_cta_2_url_369487 = \u0027https:\/\/ssl.drgnetwork.com\/ecom\/NAT\/app\/live\/subscriptions?org=NAT&publ=NA&key_code=68F1CGS&type=S\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tinline_cta_2_bg_color_369487 = \u0027#cc0e0e\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t}else{\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tinline_cta_2_text_369487 = \u0027\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESupport our work with a digital subscription.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGet unlimited access: $9.50 for six months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tinline_cta_2_font_color_369487 = \u0027#ffffff\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tinline_cta_2_button_text_369487 = \u0027\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022\u003E\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn btn_ffcf0d\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022Subscribe\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tinline_cta_2_url_369487 = \u0027https:\/\/subscribe.thenation.com\/flex\/NA\/key\/G0E1CTA\/\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tinline_cta_2_bg_color_369487 = \u0027#cc0e0e\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( inline_cta_2_text_369487 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_2_369487\u0022).html(inline_cta_2_text_369487);\n\t\t\t\tcta_2_check_369487 = true;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( inline_cta_2_button_text_369487 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_2_btn_369487\u0022).html(inline_cta_2_button_text_369487);\n\t\t\t\tcta_2_check_369487 = true;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( inline_cta_2_url_369487 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_2_btn_369487 a\u0022).attr(\u0022href\u0022,inline_cta_2_url_369487);\n\t\t\t\tcta_2_check_369487 = true;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( inline_cta_2_bg_color_369487 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_2_btn_369487 a input\u0022).css(\u0022background\u0022,inline_cta_2_bg_color_369487);\n\t\t\t\tcta_2_check_369487 = true;\n\t\t\t}\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( inline_cta_2_font_color_369487 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_2_btn_369487 a input\u0022).css(\u0022color\u0022,inline_cta_2_font_color_369487);\n\t\t\t\tcta_2_check_369487 = true;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( cta_2_check_369487 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_2_module_369487\u0022).addClass(\u0022tn-inline-cta-module\u0022);\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/script\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\n\u003Cp\u003ERight now, at the federal prison in Fort Worth, Montgomery is under 24-hour watch. Male guards watch her use the toilet, and her underwear is confiscated if she exhibits distress. The ACLU has filed suit, arguing that these conditions reinforce Montgomery\u2019s sexual trauma, exacerbate her mental illness, and thus constitute cruel and unusual punishment. This could result in a stay of execution while the lawsuit winds its way through the courts. If the stay lasts beyond January 20, the Biden administration is not likely to reschedule Montgomery\u2019s execution.\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 1972, after being removed from their abusive home, Montgomery\u2019s older sister, Diane Mattingly, was placed with a foster family, where she was \u201cengulfed in love and self-worth\u201d for the first time.\n\u003Cp\u003EMattingly is devastated that her younger sibling suffered decades of extreme abuse, leading her to this tragic breaking point. \u201cMy path to healing was hard. But I had people in my life who intervened. She didn\u2019t.\u201d\u003Ca href=\u0022#_ftn20\u0022 name=\u0022_ftnref20\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf she could speak directly to Trump or to the courts, Mattingly said she would beg, \u201cPlease don\u2019t take my sister. She was broken by people who were supposed to be her caregivers. She needs someone for once in her life to be on her side.\u201d \u003Ca href=\u0022#_ftn21\u0022 name=\u0022_ftnref21\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/section\u003E\n\n\u003Csection class=\u0022aside-wrap\u0022\u003E\u003C\/section\u003E\n\u003Cfooter class=\u0022article-footer narrow new-article-footer\u0022 id=\u0022article-footer-369487\u0022\u003E\n\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022footer-module narrow author-bio\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/victoria-law\/\u0022\u003E Victoria Law\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EVictoria Law is a freelance journalist who focuses on the intersections of incarceration, gender and resistance. Her books include \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pmpress.org\/index.php?l=product_detail&p=514\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/thenewpress.com\/books\/prison-by-any-other-name\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPrison By Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (co-authored with Maya Schenwar), and the forthcoming \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/659473\/prisons-make-us-safer-by-victoria-law\/\u0022\u003E\u0022\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/659473\/prisons-make-us-safer-by-victoria-law\/\u0022\u003EPrisons Make Us Safer\u0022 and 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\t\t\n\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022footer-module narrow 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