Preparations for Aug. 13 execution continue despite mounting pushback
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Unanswered questions surrounding a failed lethal injection in May are not stopping Tennessee officials from preparing for another execution next month.
Why it matters: Civil rights advocates, attorneys and even Republican lawmakers are urging the state to review and refine its process before pushing ahead.
- But Gov. Bill Lee told reporters this month that there is no reason to pause upcoming executions.
Driving the news: Calls for a new moratorium spiked after the botched attempt to execute inmate Tony Von Carruthers on May 21.
- The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) called off the Carruthers execution after medical personnel tried and failed to establish a backup IV line, which is required under the state's execution protocol.
- Reporters who were on hand to witness the execution did not see the unsuccessful attempts to find a vein, but Carruthers' attorney said it was brutal and bloody process.
- Lee gave Carruthers a one-year reprieve following the cancellation.
Flashback: The state previously paused executions after an independent review found prison officials hadn't followed their own rules for lethal injections.
- TDOC rewrote the rules and pledged to fix problems, and executions resumed last year.
Between the lines: Critics of the death penalty quickly seized on the latest failure as evidence that lethal injections in Tennessee remained deeply flawed even after those changes.
- But concerns soon spread beyond the typical opponents.
What they're saying: A group of Republican state lawmakers also urged Lee to halt executions so the state could investigate the failed execution to identify any changes that needed to be made.
- Nine GOP senators — including Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson — wrote Lee to express their "serious concern." They requested an independent review, correction of every deficiency and verification of execution team qualifications before another execution.
To be clear, the senators did not oppose future executions but said the "incompetent administration" of lethal injections threatened the legitimacy of the punishment.
Yes, but: Lee said the Carruthers attempt "should not affect executions in the future."
- "I think, as we have observed, everything about the protocol of the death penalty in the state was carried out appropriately" in the Carruthers case, Lee told reporters.
- TDOC has been moving forward with preparations for the scheduled Aug. 13 execution of inmate Anthony Darrell Hines.
The latest: Attorneys are still fighting for a delay. Hines' lawyers want to know whether the doctor involved in the Carruthers case will participate in his execution. They say using the same doctor elevates the risk of more problems.
- On Monday, the lawyers asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to delay the execution if TDOC refuses to replace that doctor.