TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Dec 28, 2022

The Tennessean reports that the Tennessee Department of Corrections failed to follow its own lethal injection protocol since it was introduced in 2018, according to the findings of an independent probe into the state's execution procedures released Wednesday. The probe, led by former U.S. Attorney Edward Stanton, found that the three drugs used in Tennessee's lethal injection protocol were not properly tested for endotoxins, a type of contaminant. This oversight was caused in part by a lack of communication: DOC never gave its lethal injection protocol to the Texas pharmacy contracted to oversee the procurement and testing of the deadly drugs, the probe found. Gov. Bill Lee tapped Stanton to lead the investigation into the state's lethal injection protocols in May, following a failure to properly test the lethal drugs the state planned to use to kill Oscar Franklin Smith.