Virginia's moratorium on the death penalty was ended today by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine

Virginia's moratorium on the death penalty was ended today by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionally of lethal injections. "In light of the Supreme Court ruling, executions will move forward according to the procedures that were in place prior to the court's decision," Gordon Hickey, Kaine's press secretary, said in a written statement. "The governor will continue to review any clemency requests on a case-by-case basis." Kaine halted all executions on April 1 pending the high court's decision. The governor's action gave a temporary reprieve to Edward Nathaniel Bell, who had been scheduled to die April 8 for the 1999 murder of a policeman. Kaine, at the time, rescheduled Bell's execution for July 24. The Supreme Court ruling is expected to end an unofficial national moratorium on the death penalty that has been in place since Sept. 25. During the interim, no death sentences have been carried out in the United States, and at least 31 executions in 14 states have been postponed by governors or courts.