Lethal Injection Protocol News Today

Here are five justice-related issues worth following in the coming year.

From the justice department. a new directive from attorney general bill barr to reinstate executions of federal death penalties. prisoners for the first time in nearly two decades, pete williams joins me, pete, why now? >> reporter: well, attorney general barr says its time to restore the death penalty for the state of victims and their families, under both attorneys general have approved seeking the death penalty, no execution have been carried out in the federal system since 2003 for a couple ...

Problems with this drug, with midazolam. but the supreme court has weighed in specifically on the use of this drug and said its okay to use midazolam as part of a lethal injection protocol. because of the supreme courts ruling there, that a settled matter? is that part of this case essentially no longer litigatable? >> no. that supreme court case that youre referring to, that was a very limited case with a highly differential legal review. so what the court is doing there is looking at the deter...

Raises all sorts of practical and logistical questions, let alone the sort of ethical morass that its hard to think through on something like this. but the company that makes this drug says it shouldnt be used for this purpose. other states, including oklahoma, which i highlighted earlier, have had a lot of problems with this drug, with midazolam. but the supreme court has weighed in specifically on the use of this drug and said its okay to use midazolam as part of a lethal injection protocol. b...

That its hard to think through on something like this. but the company that makes this drug says it shouldnt be used for this purpose. other states, including oklahoma, which i highlighted eaier, havead a lot of problems with this drug, with midazolam. but the supreme court has weighed in specifically on the use of this drug and said its okay to use midazolam as part of a lethal injection protocol. because of the supreme courts ruling there, that a settled matter? is that part of this case essen...

The legality of capital punishment. pamela brown is in washington. tell me who brought the case and what they were trying to accomplish here. >> reporter: brooke this case was brought by three death row inmates challenging oklahomas lethal injection protocol specifically the controversial drug that is supposed to render a person unconscious, so that person is not having pain. this was used in the botched execution where the inmate died after 40 minutes. the suit claims the drug doesnt work effec...

Is it different, is it painful in that instance. because people who are being led to the death chamber, theyre not going to breathe nicely through mask. theyre going to struggle, do they need to be sedated? i have a lot of questions about that. because nothing that we have has to do with someone struggling for their life. we talked about that in our committee. is the delivery system a mask, a suit, a chamber is it a tent? what is it? if someone is thrashing around, it would be hard to keep the m...

If smnl is thrashing around it might be hard to keep that mask on their face. it could be a long-time struggle. well see. >> its law now in oklahoma. if their lethal injection protocol is struck down next week, this is what theyre going for instead, somehow. and maybe there are lethal injection protocols might not work now anyway because they cant get the drugs. in which case, oklahoma law now says this nitrogen thing is what theyll do instead. firing squads hanging, electric chair, gas chamber,...

Committee, is the delivery system a mask, is it a suit, a chamber, a tent, what is it? if smnl is thrashing around, it might be hard to keep that mask on their face. it could be a long-time struggle. well see. >> its law now in oklahoma. if their lethal injection protocol is struck down next week, this is what theyre going for instead, somehow. and maybe there are lethal injection protocols might not work now anyway because they cant get the drugs. in which case, oklahoma law now says this nitro...

The room. they cannot see who they are drugging at all. if they need problems or have to communicate with the warden or staff in the next room along with the prisoner they are killing through the wall, to communicate with them, "the executioners stick colored pencils through holes in the wall where two iv lines feed into the inmates body. if you saw red, there might be possible problems" said a deputy warden. but if you stuck the yellow pencil or the black pencil through the wall, then everythin...