10.06.2026 14:12
A federal judge halted the execution of an inmate in Alabama, deeming death by nitrogen gas 'cruel and unusual punishment.' The ruling only blocks the nitrogen gas method.
A federal judge in the U.S. halted an execution in Alabama, ruling that executing a prisoner with nitrogen gas would violate the Constitution's prohibition on "cruel and unusual punishment." Federal Judge Emily Marks prevented the execution of 49-year-old inmate Jeffrey Lee by nitrogen gas.
Marks stated that execution by nitrogen gas constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment" under the Constitution, but noted that the ruling only blocks Lee's execution by nitrogen gas, and that the execution could proceed via injection or the electric chair.
NITROGEN GAS EXECUTION HAD BEEN IN USE SINCE 2024
This decision blocks the execution method using nitrogen gas, which has been applied in Alabama since 2024. In this execution method, a special breathing mask is placed over the inmate's face, and nitrogen gas is administered. The inmate dies due to oxygen deprivation.
So far, nitrogen gas has been used in 8 executions in the U.S. Lee would have been the 9th person executed by nitrogen gas.