Today, the U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Phillips will be hearing arguments from the state and the Federal Public Defender's office regarding the report issued on Friday by Dr. Bruce Seidner concerning Daryl Holton's competency to drop his appeals and choose to be executed (by electrocution, no less).

Although Dr. Seidner's report has not been made public, we do know that the defense will not be allowed to present witnesses who may have a differing view than that presented by Dr. Seidner. We are hopeful, at the very least, that this refusal of the court to hear from all the relevant experts will provide an avenue of appeal if the outcome of today's hearing is not what we hope.

Holton, who suffers from severe depression and psychosis has been on Tennessee's death row since 1999. He is the third Tennessee inmate to attempt to drop his appeals this year. So keep you fingers crossed and send good thoughts in the direction of Chattanooga and the Federal PD's office. But also learn more about Holton's case and the issue of mental illness. Then write a letter to the editor of your local paper and point out that we should be treating the mentally ill, not killing them. And continue to check your email and check back here to follow the case's progress.