Federal judge halts Louisiana’s first nitrogen gas execution, state says it will appeal

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A national justice has halted Louisiana’s archetypal decease enactment execution utilizing nitrogen gas, which was scheduled to instrumentality spot adjacent week.

U.S. District Court Judge Shelly Dick issued a preliminary injunction connected Tuesday, stopping the authorities from instantly moving guardant with the execution — which would person been Louisiana's archetypal execution successful 15 years. Attorney General Liz Murrill said the authorities volition instantly entreaty the decision.

Last month, Jessie Hoffman Jr. filed a suit against the authorities and sought to artifact his March 18 execution date. During a proceeding past week, attorneys for Hoffman argued that the execution method of nitrogen hypoxia is cruel and antithetic punishment nether the U.S. Constitution and infringes connected Hoffman’s state to signifier his religion, specifically Buddhist breathing and meditation exercises.

They besides said the method, which involves an industrial, full-face mask, volition ignite and worsen his diagnosed post-traumatic accent upset and claustrophobia, causing intelligence torture.

Attorneys for the authorities argued that nitrogen hypoxia has proven to beryllium palmy successful Alabama, saying the method is seemingly painless and an approved method nether Louisiana law.

Republican officials including Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill accidental the authorities is agelong overdue successful delivering justness that has been promised to the families of victims.

Hoffman, 46, was convicted of the 1996 execution of Mary “Molly” Elliott successful New Orleans.

Murrill told The Associated Press past period that she expects astatine slightest 4 radical volition beryllium executed this year. There are 56 radical connected Louisiana’s decease row.

Louisiana is pursuing successful the footsteps of Alabama, which has executed 4 radical utilizing nitrogen gas. During past week’s hearing, authorities officials described Louisiana’s execution protocol utilizing nitrogen state to beryllium astir identical to Alabama’s.

Under the protocol, the taxable is strapped to a gurney, forced to respire axenic nitrogen state done a disguise placed connected their face, depriving them of oxygen.