Nine Tennessee death row inmates are suing the state over its push for a new round of lethal injections after an execution was abruptly called off in 2022 and a follow-up investigation found scores of missteps in several executions.
The lawsuit was filed March 14 in state court, nearly three months after officials announced a new lethal injection protocol using the single drug pentobarbital. The Tennessee Supreme Court recently agreed to schedule executions for four inmates with the first set for May.
The lawsuit argues that pain and suffering from executions using pentobarbital violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. They also contend that the Tennessee Department of Correction has failed to make changes to the execution process as the governor and an independent investigator recommended — or if it has, it has not told the public. Rather, the lawsuit claims, department officials wrote a new protocol with few specifics, making it harder to hold them accountable
The attorney general’s office said it is reviewing the lawsuit. A Correction spokesperson declined to comment on it.