Arizona’s supply of midazolam expires at the end of May. The state is hoping that a challenge brought by death row inmates can be wrapped up with enough time to carry out the executions.
Arizona is trying to carry out more executions after a brief moratorium brought about after the state carried out the longest execution in American history.
In that execution, Joseph Wood took nearly two hours to die, and witnesses reported him gasping during that time.
After the state commissioned a review, U.S. District Judge Neil Wake is allowing a lawsuit brought by five death row inmates challenging the state's new methods to go forward.
The problem for Arizona: They need the case to wrap up soon because their sedative expires at the end of May.
At a status hearing on Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Sparks said the state was having problems getting more.
via transcript
The judge seemed receptive to speeding up the case, saying he would be "expecting accelerated discovery."
via transcript
As of yet, the inmates haven't even filed their new complaint yet — but summarized it at the hearing as asking for more transparency and asking that the second drug be removed.
The second drug in a three-drug protocol is a paralytic, and is used to cover any movement or twitching by the inmate. The inmates seem prepared to argue that it's a "cosmetic" drug used only to mask any pain the inmate may be feeling due to the other drugs.
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