What’s going on in The Longhorn State? The Court of Criminal Appeals has granted a delay in the scheduled execution of convicted murderer Napoleon Beazley. Yesterday’s delay came on the heels of the United States Supreme Court’s refusal to halt the execution. The high court’s decision was the result of a 3-3 vote in which Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Souter did not participate due to their connection to the victim.

According to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Beazley presented “10 allegations challenging the validity of his conviction and resulting sentence.” Those 10 reasons included constitutional claims, allegations of false testimony, jury bias and his age (17) at the time of the killing. When informed of the delay, President Bush, who in his last term as governor saw a record 40 executions, claimed “my record will last longer than Mantle’s.”