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US Supreme Court Temporarily Halts Alabama's Nitrogen Gas Execution
The US Supreme Court has blocked Alabama's immediate plan to carry out an execution using nitrogen gas. The ruling upheld a lower court's injunction halting the execution.
The US Supreme Court has temporarily halted Alabama's planned execution using nitrogen gas. The decision upheld a lower court ruling that found the method violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The Supreme Court rejected Alabama's emergency request in a one-sentence order. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch sided with the state but did not write separate dissents.
Jeffery Lee's Execution Postponed
The ruling provides temporary relief for Jeffery Lee, convicted of a double murder in 1998. His execution was scheduled for July 11.
Lee argued that nitrogen gas causes a painful suffocation lasting several minutes and challenged the method. Initially, a federal district court denied this objection and allowed Alabama to proceed with its method.
However, on Monday, the appeals court concluded that Alabama's nitrogen gas procedure posed a significant risk of "serious pain beyond death." The Supreme Court's latest decision maintains this injunction.
Debate Has Lasted for Years
Journalists and human rights advocates who have witnessed executions by nitrogen gas report that inmates convulse and make retching motions while dying. Justice Sonia Sotomayor described the suffocation experience as "intense psychological torture" in a 2025 dissent.
Doctors involved in the case also submitted affidavits to the court arguing that executions by nitrogen gas inherently cause inhumane pain. This time, the court rejected Alabama's request.
State Rejected Alternative Method
According to Supreme Court precedent developed since 2008, death row inmates must propose a constitutional alternative method when challenging the execution method. Lee suggested firing squad as an alternative.
Alabama argued that forming a firing squad was impractical and sought to preserve the nitrogen gas method. The state filed its request with the Supreme Court early in the morning.
The court had approved Alabama's first nitrogen gas execution in 2024. Since then, eight executions have been carried out using this method, seven of which were in Alabama.
Sign of a New Era in Execution Practices
The ruling comes at a time when executions are increasing in the US. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, states executed 47 people in 2025, the highest number in over a decade.
So far this year, 15 people have been executed; Lee is not among them. Donald Trump also aims to expand the use of the death penalty in a potential second term.
Meanwhile, many major pharmaceutical companies refuse to supply drugs used in lethal injections, causing states to struggle to obtain necessary substances. This has led some states to turn to alternative methods like firing squads and gas chambers.
The court's decision postponed Lee's execution, but his death sentence remains in effect.
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