When will the Sixth Circuit emerge from its lethal injection hole?

February 2, 2007

When will the Sixth Circuit emerge from its lethal injection hole?

As detailed here, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow "which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter." But, as discussed in this post, Tennessee Phil (Bredesen) yesterday felt compelled to postpone four pending executions in part because no one can predict when the Sixth Circuit will resolve a long-pending case from Ohio about federal challenges to state lethal injection protocols. Especially now that two states in the Sixth Circuit have had to postpone scheduled executions, I sure hope the Sixth Circuit won't make all the good citizens (and lawyers) of Ohio and Tennessee wait six more weeks for a ruling.

Some related posts:

• Calling out the Sixth Circuit for making a capital mess
• What should Ohio's new governor do about the death penalty?
• Ohio's new governor signs three reprieves
• The lethal mess in Ohio
• Lethal injection mess hits Ohio again
• Tennessee's planned execution splits Sixth Circuit again
• Who will demonstrate lethal injection leadership?
• My lethal injection piece on SSRN