In a case that could have far-reaching implications, the Supreme Court said Friday it would review whether a drug protocol used in Oklahoma’s recent lethal injections violates the Constitution's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, Reuters reports.
News of the Supreme Court review came Friday after one of four Oklahoma death row inmates, who filed a lawsuit against the state, was put to death last week. The court refused to block Oklahoma's execution of Charles Warner, convicted of raping and murdering an 11-month-old baby.
The death row inmates filed suit against the state over a combination of three drugs that has caused some prisoners to flail about in pain, the report says. The inmates argue the sedative, midazolam, cannot achieve the level of unconsciousness required for surgery, making it unsuitable for executions, the news site notes.
The injection procedure has been under intense scrutiny since the April 2014 botched execution of convicted murderer Clayton Lockett. He could be seen twisting on the gurney after death-chamber staff failed to place the IV properly, the report notes.
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