Trending Now - Federal Court Affirms Legality of Nitrogen Gas Executions

WHO:

AP News - U.S. District Judge Emily C. Marks ruled on the constitutionality of nitrogen gas executions.

AP News - Death row inmate Jeffery Lee, 58, is scheduled for execution.

AP News - Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall praised the judge's decision.

AP News - Inmates executed by nitrogen gas have displayed various levels of shaking during executions.

WHAT:

CBS News - A federal judge ruled that execution by nitrogen gas does not violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

AP News - The ruling allows Alabama and other states to continue using nitrogen gas for executions.

AP News - The execution method has been used to put eight people to death, seven in Alabama and one in Louisiana.

AP News - Jeffery Lee is scheduled to be executed with nitrogen gas on June 11.

AP News - The judge noted that nitrogen hypoxia likely causes severe air hunger for one to three minutes but does not constitute a constitutional violation.

WHERE:

AP News - The ruling was made in Montgomery, Alabama.

AP News - The execution is scheduled to take place at a south Alabama prison.

WHEN:

AP News - The first nitrogen gas execution was conducted in 2024.

AP News - Jeffery Lee is scheduled for execution on June 11.

WHY:

AP News - The ruling is a setback for critics who hoped to halt the use of nitrogen gas executions.

AP News - The judge stated that the question of capital punishment should be resolved by the people and their representatives, not the courts.

HOW:

AP News - The execution method involves strapping a respirator to the person’s face and replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas, leading to death from lack of oxygen.

AP News - The lawsuit challenging the method was filed last year by Jeffery Lee.

(UPDATED May 29, 2026 13:59 UTC)

A federal judge in Montgomery, Alabama, has ruled that execution by nitrogen gas does not violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, allowing the state and others to continue using this method. Death row inmate Jeffery Lee, who has challenged the method, is scheduled to be executed with nitrogen gas on June 11. The judge noted that while nitrogen hypoxia may cause severe air hunger for one to three minutes, it does not constitute a constitutional violation.