Supreme Court blocks Alabama’s nitrogen-gas execution, delaying ninth planned method

The Supreme Court refused to lift an injunction blocking Alabama from executing Jeffery Lee by nitrogen gas, effectively delaying what would have been the nation’s ninth nitrogen-hypoxia execution. In a 6-3 decision issued without a stated rationale, three conservative justices would have allowed the execution to proceed. Alabama had planned to carry out the sentence after a jury originally voted for life; the case underscores ongoing disputes over whether nitrogen hypoxia constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.