11.   In addition to suspending executions, Ryan appointed a commission to study the death penalty system to ensure that every person on death row is guilty.

12.   In January, Illinois Gov. George Ryan, a Republican, suspended executions in that state until a panel could study its fairness.

13.   Judges can still impose the death sentence in South Africa, though executions have been suspended for several years.

14.   Legislation sponsored by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., would immediately suspend all executions by the federal government and the states for seven years.

15.   Last week, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., urged Clinton to suspend federal executions.

16.   On Friday the Attorney General suspended executions until Monday when the Supreme Court resumes hearings into a petition challenging the legality of the military courts.

17.   President Clinton will consider a request that he suspend federal executions, the White House said Friday.

18.   Several congressmen said they were considering filing impeachment complaints against the eight Supreme Court justices who voted to suspend the execution.

19.   The Catholic bishops of Texas, long opponents of the death penalty, asked Bush this week to follow the lead of Illinois and suspend executions.

20.   The government is studying whether racial minorities unfairly get more federal death sentences than white offenders and whether it should suspend executions until the results are in.