USA - Oklahoma. Oklahoma Asks Supreme Court to Delay 3 Executions.

Oklahoma Asks Supreme Court to Delay 3 Executions. Oklahoma has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to issue stays of executions for 3 death-row inmates scheduled for lethal injection this week because the justices are set to hear a challenge to one of the drugs the state uses. Garcia White, Richard Glossip, and Robert Ladd have execution dates for Wednesday and Thursday, but the high court won't rule on whether the lethal-injection formula is constitutional until the summer. The state believes that because the dates are already scheduled, only the court has the authority to put them on hold until a decision is made. On the 23rd (see), the Supreme Court agreed for the 1st time since 2008 to hear a challenge to lethal injections, but they didn't block any pending executions at that time. 7 years ago, executions across the country ground to a halt while the justices considered - and ultimately rejected - the earlier challenge. The new case centers on Oklahoma's use of the sedative midazolam as the 1st chemical in a 3-drug combination. Defense lawyers say it's not strong enough to block the pain of the 2nd and 3rd drugs. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said executions in the state should be on hold until the court either OKs midazolam or an alternative is found. But he said the state is committed to putting the 3 men to death.