Supreme Court Permits First Federal Executions Since 2003. Trump administration has scheduled three inmates to be put to death this week

Wall Street Journal ^ | July 14, 2020 | Jess Bravin and Sadie Gurman

[karpov]

A divided Supreme Court cleared the way for the first federal executions since 2003, issuing orders shortly after 2 a.m. Tuesday rejecting inmate claims that using pentobarbital for lethal injections would be unconstitutional.

In an unsigned opinion, the court’s five-member conservative majority sought to end the fusillade of litigation four condemned men and their allies filed since Attorney General William Barr announced plans a year ago to reactivate the federal death chamber in Terre Haute, Ind.

...

The executions of the men convicted of murder had been set to begin Monday at 4 p.m., starting with Daniel Lewis Lee, for the 1996 killings of an Arkansas gun dealer, his wife and her 8-year-old daughter.

But Monday morning, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the District of Columbia blocked the government from proceeding so that the inmates could present arguments that pentobarbital, the drug chosen for lethal injection, could cause “extreme pain and needless suffering during their executions.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declined the government’s immediate request to reinstate the executions, but set an expedited schedule to hear the case. The Justice Department appealed to the Supreme Court, sending the justices into a late-night review of the death-penalty claims days after completing their annual term.

The conservative justices would have none of it. The court’s role was to “fairly and expeditiously” resolve challenges to lawful sentences

...

The other prisoners set to die this week are Wesley Ira Purkey, convicted of raping and killing a 16-year-old girl then burning and dismembering her body, and Dustin Lee Honken, convicted of fatally shooting five people, including two children. A fourth man, Keith Dwayne Nelson, who was convicted of kidnapping and raping a 10-year-old girl before killing her, is scheduled to be executed Aug. 28.

[karpov]

Men who murder multiple people or rape and murder girls deserve to be executed. The "judges" who say the death penalty is unconstitutional ought to resign and run for office to achieve their legislative ends.

[Sacajaweau]

I still like the 6 gun solution.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Get back to the 1800’s, we need more Isaac Charles Parkers as judges.

[spacejunkie2001]

So...when will they be executed?

[\/\/ayne]

"Line them up!"

[canuck_conservative]

U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan

... she's tried to block progress before, and she'll probably try again

Good riddance to these pieces of crap!!

[IncPen]

arguments that pentobarbital, the drug chosen for lethal injection, could cause “extreme pain and needless suffering during their executions.”

Would it help their case to claim they’re allergic to the drug being used to kill them?

[Envisioning]

.....the “extreme pain and needless suffering during their executions.”

And what about the extreme pain and needless suffering of their victims? I think they should be killed in a similar manner to their crime and raped as well if that was part of it.

[exDemMom]

I was hoping to see “MAJ” Nidal Hassan listed here.

[bert]

AA AA judge

[Mr. K]

I like the ‘I spit on your grave’ solution for rapists and murderers.

[exDemMom]

Since pentobarbitol is used routinely to euthanize animals, does this mean that every time we sign to have an animal put down, we are subjecting our animal to extreme pain and needless suffering?

I just had to have my beloved little orange fluffball kitty put down for heart failure in October. I’m pretty sure the FDA wouldn’t have approved pentobarbitol for this purpose if it caused pain. It’s a strong narcotic.

[canuck_conservative]

And BTW, get rid of this ridiculous tradition of letting these convicts have anything they want as a last meal.

No special treatment for these pukes! They should only have a choice of their regular prison food for a last meal, or a cyanide pill. They’re being executed because they REALLY caused misery in society, so society should give them NO reward!!

just sayin’ ....

[Red Badger]

Three lines, no waiting!.....................

[bert]

There is no evidence and it is absolutely impossible to probe there is any pain at all

[Guenevere]

Bttt

[fortes fortuna juvat]

Get back to the 1800’s, we need more Isaac Charles Parkers as judges.
................................................
In any truly civilized country these monsters would have been publicly hanged within hours of their conviction. The entire judicial system in this country is designed to make the lawyers and judges wealthy. Disgraceful!

[Red Badger]

In many states they do not get a special last meal, just prison food as you say. That is probably a Hollywood created myth................

[Envisioning]

Actually for child rapists it should be death by fire or something as equally painful.

[exDemMom]

It is possible to do veterinary studies to look at brain activity during euthanization and determine if the animal feels pain in the process.

I read one such study done on turkeys during the slaughter process. I think that similar studies would have had to be performed before the FDA would approve the euthanization drugs.