Louisiana Execution Scheduled February 5, 2014

The first contested Louisiana execution since 2002 is scheduled to proceed on February 5, 2014 amidst controversy concerning the lethal injection drugs to be used and a condemned man’s right to know how the execution will proceed. Christopher Sepulvado has asked the United States Supreme Court to stop his execution.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that Mr. Sepulvado has no right to know in advance how the state plans to execute him. Mr. Sepulvado challenges this decision, because secrecy allows Louisiana to proceed with his execution without any scrutiny of whether the execution will violate his right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment.   In a friend of the court brief to the United States Supreme Court, prominent physicians take issue with the secrecy surrounding executions, saying it has allowed states, including Louisiana, to engage in inhumane “lethal injection experimentation.”

PJI will update as more information becomes available.  Check back to see what you can do to help stop the execution if the courts don’t stop it.