Alabama's Nitrogen Gas Executions Face Legal and Ethical Scrutiny

A federal judge considers blocking a third execution amid concerns over the method's humaneness and procedural flaws.

Attorneys for Carey Dale Grayson have requested a preliminary injunction to halt his scheduled execution by nitrogen gas, citing major flaws in Alabama's protocol.
Witnesses of previous nitrogen executions reported prolonged convulsions and labored breathing, raising questions about the method's promised quick and painless death.
Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Q. Hamm defended the execution process, stating the observed reactions were expected and part of the dying process.
Critics argue that the nitrogen gas method lacks sufficient scientific backing and may inflict undue suffering, violating constitutional protections against cruel punishment.
Despite controversies, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has offered to assist other states in adopting nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method.