"US Supreme Court Allows Alabama's First Nitrogen Gas Execution to Proceed"

The US Supreme Court has declined to halt Alabama's plans to execute Kenneth Eugene Smith using nitrogen gas, a method never before used for capital punishment. Smith, convicted of a 1989 murder, had argued that the execution would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. The execution is scheduled for Thursday, but could still be delayed pending a separate case being considered by the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights has raised concerns about the use of nitrogen gas, calling for a halt to the execution.