×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
Challenge to Three-drug Execution Protocol Revived by Eleventh Circuit
by David M. Reutter
On September 1, 2017, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals revived civil rights claims brought by four Alabama death row prisoners. Their lawsuits challenged the state’s current three-drug execution protocol, arguing that the use of midazolam as the first drug would subject them to …
Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
More from this issue:
- America’s Toxic Prisons: The Environmental Injustices of Mass Incarceration, by Candice Bernd, Zoe Loftus-Farren, Maureen Nandini Mitra
- Ohio: Almost $3 Million Settlement in Suit Brought by Two Wrongfully Convicted Men, by Matthew Clarke
- $49,500 Settlement in Excessive Force Claim at Sacramento County Jail
- Inspector General Finds Substandard Conditions at California Jail Used by ICE, by Matthew Clarke
- Despite Class-action Settlement, Mental Healthcare Problems at CA Jail Persist, by Derek Gilna
- U.S. Sentencing Commission Report: Racial Disparities Persist, by Derek Gilna
- $415,000 Settlement in Lawsuit Over Tasered Prisoner Who Died in Texas Jail
- Filing Date of Operative Complaint Dictates if PLRA Exhaustion Applies
- Alaska Prisoners Stripped, Paraded on “Dog Leashes,” Held Naked for 12 Hours, by Christopher Zoukis
- Private Prison Forced to Produce Solitary Confinement Records
- Securus Fined $1.7 Million for Providing Inaccurate Information, FCC Approves Company Transfer Anyway, by Christopher Zoukis
- Rash of North Carolina Jail Deaths Due to Lack of Supervision and Medical Care, by David Reutter
- Prisoners in Kenya and New Zealand, Unlike Counterparts in U.S., Win Right to Vote, by Derek Gilna
- New Policies for Federal and State Prisoners Guarantee Feminine Hygiene Products, by Derek Gilna
- Twenty-six Indicted After Gang Investigation, Including Two Prison Guards, by Monte McCoin
- Idaho DOC Agrees to Provide Kosher Meals, Pay $93,000 Settlement
- Florida KKK Guards Convicted in Plot to Kill Former Prisoner
- Texas County Settles Suit Over Jail Prisoner’s Death for $250,000, by Matthew Clarke
- Innovative Use of Peanut Butter by Alabama Prisoners, by David Reutter
- New York to Spend $7.3 Million on College Programs for Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
- California: Protest Over Bay Area Jail Conditions, by Dale Chappell
- Tablets and E-messaging Services Expand in Prisons and Jails, as do Fees, by Matthew Clarke, Edward Lyon
- Challenge to Three-drug Execution Protocol Revived by Eleventh Circuit, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit: Strip Searches Due to Security Concerns Not Unconstitutional
- Alabama Supreme Court Holds Miller Entitled to Retroactivity
- Oregon Jailer Facing Sex Charges Improperly Denied Insanity Defense
- Indiana Prisoner Entitled to Kosher Meals Under RLUIPA
- Deadly Prison Riot in Delaware: 18 Prisoners Indicted, Slain Guard’s Widow Settles Suit for $7.55 Million, by Derek Gilna
- Maine: Court Does Not Need Jurisdiction Over Prisoner to Issue Order to Protect Child
- Missouri: $75,000 Settlement for Detainee’s Death Due to Untreated Ulcer
- Global Tel*Link Settles Mississippi Prison Bribery Case for $2.5 Million, by Christopher Zoukis
- New Mexico Prisoner Obtains Court Order to Allow Breastfeeding
- Colorado Federal Jury Awards $50,000 to Prisoner Assaulted by Deputy in Court, by Matthew Clarke
- Louisiana Prison Officials Sued for Trying to Block Investigation into Abuse of Disabled Prisoners, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Deaf Former Prisoner’s ADA Claims
- Prisons and Jails Impose More Restrictions on Mail, Visits to Curtail Contraband, by Matthew Clarke
- California Prisoners File Class-action Suit Seeking Hepatitis C Treatment, by Greg Dober
- Colorado: Defendants Settle After Death of Prisoner Denied Medical Treatment, by Matthew Clarke
- Ashes to Ashes: In Illinois, the Erasure of Incarcerated People Continues After Death, by Sybil Drew
- As Wyoming State Penitentiary Falls Apart, Officials Rush Repairs, by Christopher Zoukis
- Fifth Circuit: Louisiana Must Allow Prisoner to Wear Dreadlocks, by Matthew Clarke
- What’s Hidden Behind the Walls of America’s Prisons, by Heather Ann Thompson
- New York: Former Rikers Guard Gets 30 Years for Civil Rights Violations, Conspiracy, by Monte McCoin
- California: Mentally Ill Jail Prisoner Dies after Two Days in Restraint Chair; $5 Million Settlement, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prison Administrators and Criminology Students Study Radical New Approach: Treat Prisoners Like Human Beings, by Christopher Zoukis
- California Supreme Court Upholds Death Penalty Reform Law, by Christopher Zoukis
- Corruption Among Prison Guards in North Carolina Spurred by Low Pay, by David Reutter
- Tennessee Sheriff Offered “Church Release” to Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Florida Supreme Court Approves Use of Hypnotic Drug for Executions
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds Motion Judge Abused Discretion by Denying Evidentiary Hearing on IAC Claim Where Plea Counsel’s Affidavit Was Not Inherently Inconsistent With Colloquy Statements Regarding Immigration Advice, March 1, 2026
- Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Double Jeopardy Analysis for Multiple Assault Convictions, Holding That Assaultive Acts Occurring Over Short Time Period in Same Location Without Intervening Events Constitute Single Course of Conduct, March 1, 2026
- New Jersey Supreme Court Reverses Drug Convictions Under Cumulative Error Doctrine, Holding Combined Effect of Improper References to Television Series, Gun Violence, and Search Warrants Deprived Defendant of Fair Trial, March 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals Announces Coercive Police Tactics Compelling Suspect to Exit Home Constitute “Constructive Entry” Violating Payton, Holds Attenuation Analysis Applies to Third-Party Consent, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Idaho Moves Closer to Firing Squad Executions, May 1, 2026. Death Penalty, State Legislation, Method of Execution, Lethal Injection Method of Execution.
- Texas Officials Testify That Cost to Air Condition Prisons Tops $1.5 Billion, May 1, 2026. Eighth Amendment, Exposure to Heat, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Deliberate Indifference, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Trump Approves Firing Squads for Federal Executions, May 1, 2026. Death Penalty, Domestic Violence, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Method of Execution, Hate Crimes.
- Wisconsin’s Incarcerated Population Has More Access to Opioid Treatment, But Still Missing in Eight County Jails, April 1, 2026. Medication, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Drug Treatment/Rehab, Health care.
- Texas Prisoner Declared Innocent 70 Years After Execution, March 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Death Penalty, False Confessions, Eyewitness Identification, Prosecutorial Misconduct.
- Medical Audit at New Mexico Jail Once Again Finds Poor Level of Healthcare, March 1, 2026. Medication, Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Staffing.
- Three Prisoners Killed in Fight at Georgia Prison, Feb. 1, 2026. Prison/Jail Murders, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Staffing.
- Dissenter Excoriates SCOTUS for Denying Certiorari in Challenge to Constitutionality of Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution, Feb. 1, 2026. Death Penalty, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Capital Punishment, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Method of Execution.
- Los Angeles County Restricts Opioid Treatment, Feb. 1, 2026. Medication, Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Drug Overdose, Drug Treatment/Rehab.
- 2025 Was a Deadly Year for Veterans Behind Bars, Jan. 1, 2026. Brain Injury, Death Penalty, Mental Health, Veterans, Mental Health Experts.

