Washington D.C., Apr 1, 2019 / 08:30 am
The Supreme Court issued a decision Monday denying the appeal of a Missouri death row inmate who argued that execution by lethal injection would constitute "cruel and unusual punishment" in his case.
The court rejected his appeal in a five-four decision issued April 1, which revived debate on the court about the legal limits on pain inmates can experience during executions.
Russell Bucklew was convicted of kidnapping, rape, and murder in 1996 and sentenced to death. He has not appealed either his conviction or his sentence. Instead, Bucklew contends that a rare medical condition, involving blood-filled tumors in his throat and neck, prevent him from being strapped down on his back, because he could begin to suffocate before a lethal injection could be administered.
Writing in the majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch explained that a measure of pain and suffering was expected in executions and that the constitutional bar on "cruel and unusual punishment" did not entitle inmates to a pain-free death.