Anthony Boyd

Alabama is appealing a federal judge’s ruling that nitrogen gas executions violate the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, seeking to proceed with Jeffery Lee’s scheduled execution. The method, used in eight U.S. executions, involves replacing breathable air with nitrogen gas, and courts have previously split on its constitutionality.

Alabama seeks U.S. Supreme Court intervention to proceed with a nitrogen gas execution of Jeffery Lee on Thursday, after a federal judge ruled the method unconstitutional. The state argues the ruling would set a historic precedent by banning a legislatively approved execution method, while courts have expressed concerns about the potential for suffering during the process.