Death Penalty Nitrogen

A federal judge has ruled Alabama's use of nitrogen gas to carry out executions does not violate the U.S. Constitution. U.S. District Judge Emily Marks rejected claims that the method causes excessive suffering. The ruling came after the first bench trial in the nation examining the constitutionality of the execution method. The method has been used to put nine people to death, eight in Alabama and one in Louisiana. Death row inmate Jeffery Lee filed the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the method. Lee is scheduled to be executed next month. Court filings indicate his attorneys are appealing the decision.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s use of nitrogen gas to put people to death needs more stud…

A federal judge has permanently blocked Alabama from executing an inmate with nitrogen gas, declaring the method violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. U.S. District Judge Emily C. Marks issued the decision after an appeals court reversed her earlier ruling. Jeffery Lee was scheduled for execution Thursday. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office is appealing the decision. Marks noted the state has other execution methods, like lethal injection and the electric chair. She also mentioned the state could switch to a firing squad, which Lee prefers. Lee was convicted of capital murder in 1998.