The AJC brings the good news:

The federal appeals court in Atlanta on Friday stayed the execution of Troy Anthony Davis, who was scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection Monday evening.

“Upon our thorough review of the record, we conclude that Davis has met the burden for a stay of execution,” the court said in a ruling issued by Judges Joel Dubina, Rosemary Barket and Stanley Marcus.

Davis, 40, recently lost an appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Davis is on death row for the Aug. 19, 1989, murder of 27-year-old Savannah police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. Since Davis’ trial, seven of nine key prosecution witnesses have recanted their testimony. […]

Davis’ lawyers expressed relief and jubilation over the court’s decision.

“This is the first step toward a court hearing to consider the new evidence — something we have been asking for for almost a decade now,” attorney Jason Ewart said.

Georgia lawmakers have been inundated with pleas to stop the execution, receiving 4,000 emails in a 24-hour period. Atlanta Dem state senator Vincent Fort said in an OpEd Wed:

Georgians are known for their fairness, faith and decency. Unfortunately, Georgians may become known for something that runs directly counter to our core values if we proceed with the execution of Troy Anthony Davis on Monday. I have served on the state Senate Judiciary Committee for 12 years, and while I am opposed to the death penalty, even supporters can agree that we do not want to see an innocent person executed.

Radley Balko is struck by this sentence from the AP report on the stay:

The panel ordered both sides to draft briefs to address whether Davis can be executed if he can prove his innocence.