EDITORIAL – Top court to rule on lethal injections

The Supreme Court sent a powerful message to lower courts this week when it granted a… The Supreme Court sent a powerful message to lower courts this week when it granted a Mississippi inmate a stay of execution literally moments before he was scheduled to die by lethal injection.

The Court’s 7-2 decision gave strong indication that a majority intends to block all executions until the Court decides on a lethal injection case from Kentucky next spring, according to The New York Times.

The decision also sets precedent for lower courts that were struggling to decide whether to hold executions in their districts until the Court decides on the Kentucky case, Baze v. Rees.

Baze v. Rees, will issue precedent on how judges should evaluate claims that the particular combination of drugs used in lethal injections pose an unnecessary risk of pain and suffering, amounting to cruel and unusual punishment, which is prohibited by the Eighth Amendment.

While execution by lethal injection was introduced as – and outwardly appears to be –