Supreme Court stops nitrogen execution

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to lift a lower-court halt to an Alabama execution Thursday.

The lower court had stopped the execution of Jeffery Lee after finding the method the state planned – nitrogen gas – was unconstitutionally cruel.

The Associated Press reports that the high court voted 6-3 to leave the stay in place and did not explain it’s reasoning. The three voting against the majority were Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch.

Nitrogen gas is one of the methods Louisiana law now allows for executions here. We reached out to the Attorney General’s Office to see if they have any reaction to the ruling.

An organization called Execution Intervention Project issued a release today saying they plan to “bring this fight to Louisiana.”

“The highest court in the land would not sign its name to Jeffery Lee’s suffocation,” said Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood, founder of the Execution Intervention Project and eyewitness to the nitrogen executions of Kenneth Smith and Anthony Boyd. “Nitrogen is mortally wounded…and Louisiana is next.”

Louisiana wrote nitrogen executions into law under Governor Jeff Landry. Attorney General Liz Murrill carried Jessie Hoffman to the chamber…then promised more, the organization’s release states. They say they have installed billboards opposing nitrogen executions in the Capitol City.

“Governor Landry…stop this lunacy,” Hood said. “They built machines to steal the breath of the condemned. Now…we are here to take the breath of the machines.”