The Supreme Court just put the brakes on Alabama’s nitrogen gas execution
Alabama really wanted to try its new favorite toy — nitrogen hypoxia — on an inmate who actually asked for a firing squad instead. But the highest court in the land stepped in hours before the scheduled event.
So here is the wild twist: the inmate, Jeffrey Lee, actually chose nitrogen gas himself back in 2018. Back then, it was just a theoretical option on a form. But then Alabama actually started using it in 2024, and the reality turned out to be less "painless sleep" and more "gasping for air while your lungs scream."
Naturally, Lee changed his mind. He sued to block the gas and asked for a firing squad instead. The catch? Firing squads aren't even legal in Alabama. Talk about a desperate counter-offer.
Just hours before the execution, the Supreme Court stepped in with an unsigned order blocking the nitrogen method. They didn't explain why, but Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch were totally down to let the gas flow and dissented.
It turns out choosing how to go is much easier when it's a checkbox on a piece of paper rather than a mask strapped to one's face.
Source: NBC News
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