TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jan 17, 2025

The U.S. Department of Justice is rescinding its protocol that allowed single-drug lethal injections for federal executions. The Tennessean reports the decision to not use pentobarbital, a sedative that is notoriously difficult for governments to source, comes after a department review raised concerns about the potential for "unnecessary pain and suffering." The decision was communicated in a letter from the attorney general to the director of the federal Bureau of Prisons. Last month, Tennessee decided to resume executions using solely pentobarbital, after a yearslong pause related to the combination of drugs used before. The pause on federal executions remains in place while the U.S. Department of Justice evaluates other manners of execution.