"Supreme Court Allows Alabama's First Nitrogen Gas Execution Amid Ethical Controversy"

The Supreme Court rejected Alabama death row inmate Kenneth Smith's last-minute request for a stay of execution, bringing him closer to being put to death by nitrogen gas, an untested method. Smith had objected to the potential for botched execution and alleged it would violate his Eighth Amendment rights. Scheduled for Thursday, Smith's lawyers have a separate claim pending in federal court. The Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority has generally been skeptical of last-minute stay requests by death row inmates and has made it more difficult for prisoners to challenge the method of execution.