---
title: 'News Brief — Pennsylvania Federal Court Stays Execution of Jordan Clemons'
description: 'NEWS (2/11/20): The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania has stayed the execution of Jordan Clemons, which had been scheduled for…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news-developments-pennsylvania-federal-court-stays-execution-of-jordan-clemons'
section: news
date: '2020-02-11T06:30:00-05:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T15:04:02-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

! **NEWS (2/11/20): The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania has stayed the execution of Jordan Clemons, which had been scheduled for March 13, 2020.** As required by a law enacted by the Pennsylvania legislature in 1995, Clemons was the subject of a legally premature execution date, even though he had not yet had the opportunity to appeal his conviction and death sentence in state or federal post-conviction proceedings and was entitled to pursue those appeals. The [one-sentence order](https://files.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/Clemons-Jordan-WDPA-Stay-Order-20-02-11.pdf), issued February 11, 2020, stays Mr. Clemons execution "pending completion of these habeas corpus proceedings or until further order of this Court."

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has imposed a moratorium on executions in the state and has refused to sign death warrants. In the absence of a warrant, the law requires the Secretary of the Department of Corrections to set an execution date, and Sec. John Wetzel issued a "notice of execution" on February 10.