"I think we were within about a half hour of the execution, " said Brian Kammer, an attorney for Hill, whose supporters say is mentally disabled.

CNN: Georgia inmate granted last-minute stays of execution

The Georgia Court of Appeals acted on a appeal of a challenge to the way the prison handles the lethal injection drugs used in executions, while the federal appeals court issued a stay "ordering a further briefing on the issue of mental retardation, " Kammer said.

CNN: Georgia inmate granted last-minute stays of execution