Dossier
US federal appeals court
Coverage of US federal appeals court in the Nexus archive.
- US appeals court raises concerns about Alabama’s use of nitrogen gas for executions
A US federal appeals court has ordered further study on Alabama's use of nitrogen gas for executions, citing concerns it may violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The court did not halt an upcoming execution of death row inmate Jeffery Lee, scheduled for Thursday, but requested evaluation of a firing squad as an alternative. Nitrogen gas has been used in eight US executions, with Alabama's last such execution taking over 30 minutes.