WASHINGTON: An American woman was put to death by lethal injection Wednesday, becoming the first female to be executed by US federal authorities in nearly seven decades.

Lisa Montgomery's execution came in the final days of the government of US President Donald Trump, which pushed forward with her execution despite a legal battle that the Supreme Court ended with a ruling in the early hours of Wednesday.

Montgomery, 52, murdered an expectant mother to steal her baby, though she had sought a stay of execution on the grounds she was mentally ill.

She was the 11th person to be put to death after the Trump administration successfully fought to resume federal executions in July following a 17-year hiatus.

Her lawyer Kelley Henry, in a scathing statement, called the decision -- the first for a female inmate since 1953 -- a "vicious, unlawful, and unnecessary exercise of authoritarian power."

"The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight," Henry said.

"Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame."