Court: Lethal Injection Method is Constitutional

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The state Supreme Court ruled that Kentucky’s lethal injection method is constitutional after two death row inmates challenged the procedure.

Inmates Thomas Clyde Bowling and Ralph Baze, both on death row in Eddyville, failed in their efforts to prove that lethal injection is a form of cruel and unusual punishment, and the state will resume executions of inmates.

The judge’s decision agrees with an earlier ruling in a lower court that stated that the method was constitutional. The state has not performed any executions since the lawsuit was filed in 2004.

Kentucky’s method of injection uses a four-drug combination to complete a three-step process: first making the inmate unconscious; then paralyzing him; and finally causing his heart to stop. Arguments against the method claim that the first stage fails to make the inmate completely unconscious, and severe pain is experienced when the heart-stopping drug is administered.

The method of lethal injection has recently been challenged in several other states. Inmates in Missouri and South Dakota were successful in their suits whereas inmates in Florida and Texas were not.