Questions about the appro­pri­ate­ness of new lethal injec­tion meth­ods have recent­ly stayed exe­cu­tions in Louisiana and Ohio and caused the Florida Supreme Court to order a hear­ing pri­or to the next exe­cu­tion there. In Louisiana, Christopher Sepulvado received a 90-day stay to allow a fed­er­al court to deter­mine whether the state’s new pro­to­col vio­lates his con­sti­tu­tion­al pro­tec­tion against cru­el and unusu­al pun­ish­ment. He was sched­uled to be exe­cut­ed on February 5. The Florida Supreme Court ordered a sim­il­iar hear­ing to be held before Paul Howell’s sched­uled exe­cu­tion on February 26 to exam­ine the state’s new pro­to­col. In Ohio, Governor John Kasich ordered an 8‑month stay of exe­cu­tion for Gregory Lott so the state can com­plete a review of its new lethal injec­tion pro­ce­dure, first used to exe­cute Dennis McGuire on January 16, result­ing in gasp­ing and chok­ing sounds from the inmate. The com­mon drug in ques­tion in all three states is mida­zo­lam, a seda­tive used as the first drug in a 2- or 3‑drug protocol. 

(A. Welsh-Huggins, ​“Ohio gov­er­nor issues 8‑month reprieve for con­demned inmate after recent lengthy exe­cu­tion,” Associated Press, February 7, 2014; J. Berlew, ​“Hearing ordered on state’s use of exe­cu­tion drugs,” Tallahassee Democrat, February 7, 2014; ​“Louisiana delays exe­cu­tion after chal­lenge to lethal drug com­bo,” Reuters, February 3, 2014). See Lethal Injection and Upcoming Executions.

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