Court Backs Mo. Death Penalty Procedure

AP via SFGate ^ | 6/4/7 | JIM SALTER, Associated Press Writer

[SmithL]

Saint Louis (AP) -- A federal appeals court opened the way for Missouri to resume executing inmates, ruling Monday that the state's lethal injection procedure is not cruel and unusual punishment.

The case filed on behalf of condemned killer Michael Taylor had effectively halted Missouri executions since early last year. A judge said he wanted to be sure that the three-drug injection method did not cause risk of pain and suffering.

A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found "no evidence to indicate that any of the last six inmates executed suffered any unnecessary pain," according to its ruling.

The court's decision reversed a ruling by U.S. District Judge Fernando Gaitan Jr. ordering reforms to Missouri's lethal injection procedures. He wanted the state to involve a doctor specializing in anesthesia, but the state has been unable to find a doctor willing to participate.

[chae]

Good. Now I’m just waiting for Glass to be led into that room.

[SteveMcKing]

Nobody cares about pain and suffering, least of all the killer.

It is the mortal fear of death that makes one use every last ounce of delaying possible in the minuscule hope of avoiding such fate.

The last minute panic must be something tremendous. “Euphoric, in a way.”

[xzins]

This is all a ridiculous discussion since those who wrote “no cruel and unusual punishment” also regularly hanged people. They used firing squads and floggins, too, if I recall correctly.

Also, since the constitution permits being deprived of life by due process of law, then someone had in mind some form of ending that life.

[BuffaloJack]

The Constitution allows the death penalty, just not cruel and unusual punishment. It says nothing about depriving the guilty of excruciating pain and what exactly constitues unusual. If the same punishment is doled out several times then it is no longer unusual.