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| The Arkansas Death Penalty Dispute: Where Things Stand | The Arkansas Death Penalty Dispute: Where Things Stand |
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| LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A plan by Arkansas to carry out eight executions over less than two weeks neared collapse on Thursday after a series of court rulings. For updates, follow @alanblinder on Twitter. Here is a look at where things stand: | LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A plan by Arkansas to carry out eight executions over less than two weeks neared collapse on Thursday after a series of court rulings. For updates, follow @alanblinder on Twitter. Here is a look at where things stand: |
| ■ The state still hopes to carry out two executions Thursday night. The men who were scheduled to die, Stacey E. Johnson and Ledell Lee, were both convicted of murder. Their executions were set for 7 p.m. Central time at the Cummins Unit, a prison in southeast Arkansas. | ■ The state still hopes to carry out two executions Thursday night. The men who were scheduled to die, Stacey E. Johnson and Ledell Lee, were both convicted of murder. Their executions were set for 7 p.m. Central time at the Cummins Unit, a prison in southeast Arkansas. |
| ■ On Wednesday night, the Arkansas Supreme Court issued a stay of execution for Mr. Johnson, who has maintained his innocence, to allow for new forensic testing of evidence. After the court’s decision, the state attorney general, Leslie Rutledge, said she was “evaluating options on how to proceed to ensure that justice is carried out.” | ■ On Wednesday night, the Arkansas Supreme Court issued a stay of execution for Mr. Johnson, who has maintained his innocence, to allow for new forensic testing of evidence. After the court’s decision, the state attorney general, Leslie Rutledge, said she was “evaluating options on how to proceed to ensure that justice is carried out.” |
| ■ Although the decision in the Johnson case did not affect Mr. Lee, a ruling in a separate court could spare him from execution on Thursday. A Circuit Court judge in Pulaski County said on Wednesday that the state could not use its supply of vecuronium bromide, a lethal injection drug, to carry out any executions. The company that sold the drug to the state, McKesson Corporation, has accused Arkansas of misleading it so the authorities could “circumvent” restrictions on medicines that can be used in executions. The state, which has denied wrongdoing, filed an appeal on Thursday. | |
| ■ Arkansas wants to use three drugs in its lethal injections: midazolam, which is a sedative that is intended to leave a prisoner unable to feel pain; vecuronium bromide, which halts a person’s breathing; and potassium chloride, which stops the heart. All three drugs have been the subject of court filings, but the biggest fights have been waged over midazolam and vecuronium bromide. | ■ Arkansas wants to use three drugs in its lethal injections: midazolam, which is a sedative that is intended to leave a prisoner unable to feel pain; vecuronium bromide, which halts a person’s breathing; and potassium chloride, which stops the heart. All three drugs have been the subject of court filings, but the biggest fights have been waged over midazolam and vecuronium bromide. |
| ■ The immediate battles over the lives of Mr. Johnson and Mr. Lee could easily last into Thursday night and reach the United States Supreme Court. The final court ruling on Monday, when two prisoners had been scheduled for execution, was released about 11:45 p.m. Central time. | ■ The immediate battles over the lives of Mr. Johnson and Mr. Lee could easily last into Thursday night and reach the United States Supreme Court. The final court ruling on Monday, when two prisoners had been scheduled for execution, was released about 11:45 p.m. Central time. |
| ■ Arkansas will not complete its full schedule of eight executions. Death warrants for two men expired this week, and a federal judge issued a stay of execution for a man who was scheduled to be put to death on April 27. The state developed its plan to execute some of its 34 death row prisoners this month because Arkansas’s supply of midazolam will expire soon. | ■ Arkansas will not complete its full schedule of eight executions. Death warrants for two men expired this week, and a federal judge issued a stay of execution for a man who was scheduled to be put to death on April 27. The state developed its plan to execute some of its 34 death row prisoners this month because Arkansas’s supply of midazolam will expire soon. |