Supreme Court to rule on lethal injection executions
Legal News Center
[##_1L|1374613952.jpg|width="104" height="138" alt=""|_##]The U.S. Supreme Court said on Tuesday it would decide whether the commonly used lethal injection method of execution violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The nation's highest court said it would decide in its upcoming term an appeal by two death row inmates from Kentucky arguing that the three-chemical cocktail used in lethal injections inflicted unnecessary pain and suffering.Their lawyers said the Supreme Court has not addressed the constitutionality of a method of execution or the legal standard used to determine whether the method violated the ban on cruel and unusual punishment in more than 100 years.
All but one of the states with the death penalty and the federal government use lethal injection for executions. The only exception is Nebraska, which requires electrocution.
The standard method involves administering three separate chemicals: sodium pentothal, an anesthetic, which makes the inmate unconscious; pancuronium bromide, which paralyzes all muscles except the heart, and then potassium chloride, which stops the heart, causing death.
Attorneys for the two Kentucky men said at least half of the death row inmates facing imminent execution in the last two years have filed suit challenging the chemicals used in lethal injections. While various lower court federal judges have ruled on the issue, the Supreme Court has yet to decide it.
Related listings
-
Pasadena church wants apology from IRS
Legal News Center 09/22/2007The rector of a liberal Pasadena church today demanded an apology and a clarification from the Internal Revenue Service after being notified that the agency had closed a lengthy investigation of the church over a 2004 antiwar sermon -- but also found...
-
Phila. law firm hit with discrimination suit
Legal News Center 09/21/2007[##_1L|1190582725.jpg|width="120" height="93" alt=""|_##]Philadelphia law firm Cozen O'Connor has been sued by a former partner who alleges that she was not given the same leeway regarding political activities as male employees. Patricia Biswanger cl...
-
Court upholds Md. gay marriage ban
Legal News Center 09/20/2007[##_1L|1152861877.jpg|width="157" height="111" alt=""|_##]Maryland's highest court Tuesday rejected same-sex marriage and upheld the state's 34-year-old statute defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In a case watched closely around ...
New York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC
Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.