TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jul 23, 2025

A Tennessee judge ruled Tuesday that the state may deactivate death row inmate Bryon Black’s implanted heart-regulating device at a hospital on the morning of his execution, rather than bringing a doctor or technician into the execution chamber, the Associated Press reports. The ruling adjusts an earlier order that required prison officials to deactivate the defibrillator moments before Black’s execution. During a hearing on the issue, Deputy Attorney General Cody Brandon said Black’s physicians at Nashville General Hospital were unwilling to enter the execution chamber. He asked the judge to either overturn the previous order or allow the Tennessee Department of Correction to transport Black to the hospital for the procedure.