Overview

• On Thursday, the Tennessee Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s mandate to deactivate Byron Black’s defibrillator before his scheduled Aug. 5 execution.
• The ruling concluded that requiring device shutdown would unduly disrupt carrying out the state’s lethal injection procedures.
• Nashville General Hospital affirmed it never agreed to disable the implant and said it has no role in executions.
• Black’s attorneys warn that an active defibrillator could trigger repeated shocks and prolong his suffering during lethal injection.
• His final appeals, including an intellectual disability claim and a clemency petition with Gov. Bill Lee, remain pending.