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Judge Jane B. Stranch of the Sixth Circuit in her robe

Senior Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

Hon. Jane B. Stranch

Photo: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons

Bench Watch Brief · Profile in brief

Jane B. Stranch is a senior judge on the federal appeals court for the Sixth Circuit. President Obama nominated her in 2009. On Sept. 30, 2026, she wrote the 2-1 order pausing Christa Pike's execution, which the U.S. Supreme Court lifted hours later.

Before the bench

Private practice in Nashville (1978-2010).

Highlights and issues

  1. Notable ruling

    Writes the 2-1 order staying Christa Pike's execution

Cases we follow in this courtroom

  • Video · WBIR Channel 10
    Supreme CourtWatching

    Pike v. Tennessee

    U.S. Supreme Court · No. 26-5696

    Christa Gail Pike, sentenced to death in Tennessee for a 1995 murder, survived an attempted lethal injection on Sept. 30, 2026, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a stay over three justices' dissent. She is back in prison, and in an Oct. 30 statement she said she has been in pain since that night. The governor ordered an outside review; no new execution date has been set.

    Updated November 14, 2026 · 4 min read

Sources