A federal judge recently reopened a case questioning Louisiana’s execution procedures as the state gets ready to implement the death penalty via nitrogen gas in the near future.
For 15 years, Louisiana put a halt on executions, primarily due to a lack of political will and difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs.
However, following the finalization of a nitrogen gas execution protocol this month and under the direction of Republican Governor Jeff Landry, Louisiana plans to execute two inmates on back-to-back days in March.
Christopher Sepulvado, sentenced for the murder of his 6-year-old stepson, is set to be executed on March 17, while Jessie Hoffman, convicted of first-degree murder in 1996, is scheduled for the next day.
Hoffman previously challenged the state’s lethal injection protocol in 2012, citing concerns over the method being a form of cruel and unusual punishment.
However, U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick dismissed the lawsuit last year due to the absence of any planned executions.
On Friday, though, she noted that the new nitrogen gas protocol warranted examination given the upcoming executions.
In her judgment, she stated, “The significant demands of justice, i.e., access to the courts and the protection of constitutional rights in relation to human life, outweigh any interest of finality here.”
Cecelia Kappel, Hoffman’s attorney and director of the Loyola University Center for Social Justice, mentioned that they are now asking for a hearing to evaluate the nitrogen gas execution method.
“This has always been about examining the state’s execution method in the light of day when the state seeks to rush forward with executions under a veil of secrecy,” Kappel explained.
The initial execution by nitrogen gas in the United States occurred last year in Alabama, which has since conducted four executions using this method.
Reports from media witnesses indicated that all of the inmates executed in Alabama exhibited varying degrees of involuntary movements, including shaking or gasping, during the process.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has expressed her intent to appeal the judge’s decision to reinstate the case, stating, “I believe it is egregiously wrong as a matter of law.”
Meanwhile, St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Collin Sims, who is pushing for Hoffman’s execution, affirmed his respect for judicial reviews that do not veer into legislative territory or impose personal beliefs.
