At the Supreme Court, newly seated Justice Brett Kavanaugh appeared receptive Tuesday to the arguments of a condemned Missouri prisoner who says he’s likely to experience extreme pain if he’s subjected to a lethal injection. Russell Bucklew was scheduled to be executed last March before the high court agreed to hear his appeal. His attorneys argued at the Supreme Court Tuesday that Bucklew’s rare medical condition could prevent a lethal injection drug from circulating properly through his veins, likely leading to a death so agonizing that it would violate the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The Supreme Court split 4 to 4 earlier this year on whether to allow the execution to proceed, meaning Justice Kavanaugh will likely cast the deciding vote in the case.
Death Row Prisoner Tells High Court Lethal Injection Would Be “Cruel and Unusual”
HeadlineNov 07, 2018