TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on May 4, 2022

After abruptly halting the execution of Oscar Franklin Smith last month, Gov. Bill Lee on Monday announced "an investigation by a respected third party” into the state’s lethal injection protocols. Heading up that investigation is Memphis attorney Ed Stanton III, West Tennessee’s top federal prosecutor during the Barack Obama administration. Now an attorney at Butler Snow, Stanton’s assignment doesn’t address the validity of the death penalty itself. Instead, the governor’s office said Stanton will investigate "What led to testing the lethal injection chemicals for only potency and sterility but not endotoxins, a sign of bacteria in the compound, ahead of the April 21 execution." Former Memphis and Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton said the job is “one of the most important assignments any member of the legal profession could receive.” The Commercial Appeal has more on Stanton and his latest assignment from the governor.