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☆ Marcellus Williams execution brings fresh scrutiny to Supreme Court’s death penalty approach
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-28 | by ( John Fritze | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The Supreme Court has a limited role to play death penalty cases,” said Paul Cassell, a University of Utah law professor who is representing a victim’s family in another death penalty case before the high court this year. Another involves an Alabama man who claims he is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for execution under Supreme Court precedent. The Supreme Court’s approach to death penalty appeals is “to correct severe misapplications of constitutional law by America’s state court systems,” said Seth Kretzer, a Texas attorney who has represented death row inmates at the Supreme Court. Alabama is appealing that decision to the Supreme Court and has been waiting more than year for an answer. In Oklahoma, Brenda Andrew faces the death penalty for the 2001 shooting death of her estranged husband.

Persons: Marcellus Williams, Felicia Gayle, Williams, ”, Cliff Sloan, “, dissents, Paul Cassell, Cassell, Richard Glossip, Barry Van Treese, Justin Sneed, Glossip, Sneed, Republican Gentner Drummond, ” Williams, Wesley Bell, Bell, Andrew Bailey, Bailey, Robert Dunham, ” Cassell, Van, ’, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson –, Sotomayor, Kenneth Smith, Smith, ” Smith, Seth Kretzer, Kretzer, Joseph Smith, Brenda Andrew, Andrew, ” CNN’s Devan Cole Organizations: CNN, NAACP, Supreme, Georgetown Law, University of Utah, Republican, Glossip, Democrat, Missouri, Court, Eighth, Alabama, Appeals Locations: Missouri, Oklahoma, Alabama, Oklahoma City, Louis, Texas

Two years after an Alabama prisoner was spared when staff members struggled to execute him by lethal injection, officials plan to try again Thursday — using the rare method of nitrogen gas. He filed a federal lawsuit in March seeking to halt his execution, citing the state's past execution failures and concerns that the method of nitrogen hypoxia would add pain and prolong death. "The resolution of this case confirms that Alabama's nitrogen hypoxia system is reliable and humane," Marshall said in a previous statement. Alabama officials have insisted in court filings that nitrogen hypoxia is "painless because it causes unconsciousness in seconds" and death within minutes. "Whether by lethal injection or nitrogen suffocation, the myth of the 'humane execution' is a lie fewer and fewer people believe," Foa said in a statement.

Persons: Alan Eugene Miller, Miller, Kenneth Smith, gurney, Steve Marshall, I've, " Miller, Marshall, Lee Holdbrooks, Christopher Scott Yancy, Terry Lee Jarvis, Smith's heaving, Maya Foa, Foa Organizations: Alabama, NBC News, Alabama Department of Corrections, Prosecutors Locations: Alabama, Atmore, South Carolina, Missouri, Birmingham, U.S, London

☆ China executes couple for murder of toddlers that shocked the nation
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has executed a couple for throwing two toddlers out of a high-rise apartment window, in a case that provoked nationwide outrage. Ye saw Zhang’s two children as an “obstacle” to them getting married and a “burden on their future life together,” the court heard. She repeatedly urged Zhang to kill the toddlers and threatened to break up with him if he didn’t. His study shows that Chinese people who express political views online tend to show greater support for the death penalty. Wednesday’s execution also brought into focus the main method used in China to carry out the death penalty: lethal injection.

Persons: Zhang Bo, Ye Chengchen, Ye, Zhang, “, ”, John Zhuang Liu, It’s, Kenneth Smith Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Xinhua, Weibo, University of Hong Kong, CNN, Amnesty Locations: Hong Kong, China, Chongqing, Weibo, Alabama

☆ Justice Sotomayor speaks on frustration following some Supreme Court rulings
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor opened up on Monday about the “frustration” she said she experiences daily as the high court’s conservative supermajority continues to move the country further to the right. And as you heard, every loss truly traumatizes me in my stomach and in my heart. During Monday’s event, Sotomayor waded into other topics related to the court, including the impact of oral arguments on a justice’s vote. At one point, she criticized some criminal defense attorneys who she said have occasionally done a poor job of advocating before the high court. Because by the time you come to the Supreme Court, it’s not about your client anymore.

Persons: Sonia Sotomayor, ” Sotomayor, I’m, ”, Sotomayor, Donald Trump, “, Smith, ’ ”, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Kenneth Smith’s, Sotomayor waded, Neil Gorsuch, I’ll, it’s Organizations: CNN, University of California, Berkeley School of Law Locations: Alabama, “

☆ What we know about Alabama execution of Kenneth Smith by nitrogen gas
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | Dakin Andone | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Alabama inmate Kenneth Smith was put to death Thursday night by nitrogen hypoxia, marking the nation’s first known execution to be carried out using that method. The execution process began at 7:53 p.m. CT Thursday, and Smith was pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m., according to Alabama Department of Corrections officials. Smith made a lengthy statement in front of the witnesses before the execution started, according to the pool reporters. A new method of capital punishmentAhead of Smith’s execution, a tense debate unfolded about whether America’s wholly new execution method is humane and whether the procedure would cause undue pain. The family has forgiven everyone involved in the killing, including Smith, Michael Sennett said at a news conference Thursday night.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, United Nations –, William C, John Hamm, gurney, “, writhed, Hamm, ” Hamm, Jeff Hood, who’d, ” Smith, gurney ”, Hood, ”, ’, Elizabeth Sennett's, Elizabeth Sennett, Sennett, Charles Sennett, Michael, ” Elizabeth Sennett’s, What’s, ” Chuck Sennett, “ He’s, Michael Sennett, CNN’s Devan Cole, Christina Maxouris, Isabel Rosales, Lauren Mascarenhas, Jamiel Lynch Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Holman Correctional, Alabama Department of Corrections, “ Locations: Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Atmore, Alta

☆ UN Rights Chief Deplores US Nitrogen Gas Execution
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights chief on Friday condemned the execution of a prisoner in the U.S. state of Alabama by nitrogen gas, saying the method could amount to torture. Kenneth Smith, convicted of a 1988 murder-for-hire, was executed on Thursday with nitrogen gas, the first use of a new method of capital punishment since lethal injections began in the U.S. four decades ago. "I deeply regret the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith in Alabama despite serious concerns this novel and untested method of suffocation by nitrogen gas may amount to torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," Volker Turk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said. I urge all states to put in place a moratorium on its use, as a step towards universal abolition." In November 2022, Alabama officials aborted his execution by lethal injection after struggling for hours to insert an intravenous line's needle in his body.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Kenneth Eugene Smith, Volker Turk, Smith, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Barbara Lewis Organizations: United Nations, Human Rights Locations: GENEVA, U.S ., Alabama

☆ Alabama execution using nitrogen gas, the first ever, again puts U.S. at front of death penalty debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

It marked the first time a new execution method was used in the U.S. since 1982, when lethal injection was introduced and later became the most common method. The state had predicted the nitrogen gas would cause unconsciousness within seconds and death within minutes. After he had a chance to make a final statement, the warden, from another room, was to activate the nitrogen gas. And experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council cautioned they believe the execution method could violate the prohibition on torture. Smith's attorneys had raised concerns that he could choke to death on his own vomit as the nitrogen gas flows.

Persons: Abraham Bonowitz, Kenneth Smith, Kenneth Eugene Smith, Smith, gurney, Kay Ivey, Elizabeth Sennett, Ivey, Elizabeth Sennett's, Mike Sennett, Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Steve Marshall, John Q, Hamm, Jeff Hood, Hood, Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, he's, Sennett, John Forrest Parker, Charles Sennett Organizations: Holman Correctional, Alabama Gov, European Union, Human, EU, U.S, Supreme, State, Justice, Catholic, Prosecutors Locations: Columbus , Ohio, Holman, Atmore , Alabama, U.S, Alabama, United States, Geneva, gurney, Hamm, Vatican, Rome, Mississippi, Oklahoma

☆ Kenneth Eugene Smith execution: Alabama set to carry out first execution by nitrogen gas
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Dakin Andone | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Alabama is poised to carry out the first known execution using nitrogen gas Thursday to put Kenneth Smith to death for his role in a 1988 murder for hire. The state, in court records, indicated the redactions were made to maintain security. Smith’s team again Thursday morning appealed to the US Supreme Court and requested a stay of execution. “But the way that they’re constructing this, the way that they’re doing it, the way that they’re being silent, the way that they’re holding back information, yes, it’s incredibly concerning. Smith was convicted and sentenced to die, but an appeals court overturned the initial outcome and ordered a new trial.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, Smith’s, Steve Marshall, ”, “, Smith –, Jeff Hood, ” Hood, ” Smith’s, Elizabeth Sennett, Charles, Charles Sennett, Sennett, CNN’s Isabel Rosales, Devan Cole, Chris Youd, Olivia LaBorde Organizations: CNN, US, Supreme, Wednesday, ” Locations: Alabama

☆ The Alabama Execution Case: What We Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Anna Betts | Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Alabama carried out on Thursday the first execution using nitrogen gas in the United States, an untested method that was the subject of debate before it was used. Here are a few things to know about the case. According to court documents, Ms. Sennett, a mother of two, was stabbed 10 times in the attack by Mr. Smith and another man. Charles Sennett Sr., Ms. Sennett’s husband, had recruited a man to handle her killing, who in turn recruited Mr. Smith and another man. Mr. Sennett arranged the murder in part to collect on an insurance policy that he had taken out on his wife, according to court records.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, William C, Kenneth Eugene Smith, Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett, Sennett, Smith, Charles Sennett, Sennett’s Organizations: Alabama, Holman Correctional, U.S, Supreme Locations: United States, Atmore, Ala, Colbert County

Alabama on Thursday is expected to perform the first execution in the U.S. with nitrogen gas, barring any last-minute intervention from courts or the state. I remain confident that the Supreme Court will come down on the side of justice, and that Smith’s execution will be carried out tomorrow,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said on social media on Wednesday. What Is a Nitrogen Gas Execution? The execution involves a mask that will be strapped to Smith’s face and deliver nitrogen gas. Alabama is one of three states where nitrogen hypoxia is an authorized execution method, but it’s the first to attempt to use it.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, Smith’s, Steve Marshall, Kenneth Eugene Smith, Ravina Shamdasani, Elizabeth Sennett, Charles Sennett Organizations: U.S, Supreme, United Nations, Records Locations: Alabama, U.S, United States, America

☆ Alabama Completes First Execution Using Nitrogen Gas Asphyxiation
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said prison officials had killed Kenneth Smith, a convicted murderer, on Thursday evening, completing the first execution using asphyxiation by nitrogen gas, which the state is advancing as a simpler alternative to lethal injections. The state has called its new protocol "the most painless and humane method of execution known to man." United Nations human rights experts and lawyers for Smith, who survived Alabama's previous botched attempt to execute him by lethal injection, had sought to prevent it, saying the method was risky and could lead to a torturous death or non-fatal injury. Alabama prison officials and journalists who observed Smith's execution were due to brief reporters shortly. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

Persons: Kay Ivey, Kenneth Smith, Smith, Jonathan Allen, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Alabama, United Nations Locations: Alabama

☆ Alabama Set to Carry Out First U.S. Execution by Nitrogen
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Alabama is set to carry out the first American execution using nitrogen gas on Thursday evening, potentially opening a new frontier in how states execute death row prisoners despite concerns from death penalty opponents about the untested method. As it stands, prison officials plan to begin the execution around 6 p.m. Central time. Mr. Smith, 58, is one of three men convicted in the 1988 murder of a woman whose husband, a pastor, had recruited them to kill her. The protocol released by prison officials calls for strapping Mr. Smith to a gurney in the state’s execution chamber in Atmore, Ala., after which a mask will be placed on his head and a flow of nitrogen will be released into it, depriving him of oxygen. It would be the second time the state has tried to kill Mr. Smith, after a failed lethal injection in November 2022 in which executioners could not find a suitable vein before his death warrant expired.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, strapping Mr, gurney Organizations: Alabama, U.S, Supreme Locations: Atmore, Ala

☆ Alabama Prepares to Carry Out First Execution by Nitrogen Asphyxiation
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By Jonathan Allen(Reuters) - Alabama plans to carry out the first known judicial execution of a prisoner using asphyxiation with nitrogen gas on Thursday evening, a closely watched new method the state hopes to advance as a viable, simpler alternative to lethal injections. Kenneth Smith, convicted of a 1988 murder-for-hire, is a rare prisoner who has already survived one execution attempt. In November 2022, Alabama officials aborted his execution by lethal injection after struggling for hours to insert an intravenous line's needle in his body. A canister of pure nitrogen will be attached to the mask, intended to deprive him of inhaling any oxygen. Jeff Hood, spiritual adviser to Smith, who will be at Smith's side, had to sign a form acknowledging the risk that the execution method poses to others.

Persons: Jonathan Allen, Kenneth Smith, Smith, gurney, Jeff Hood, Maya Foa, Foa, Elizabeth Sennett, Charles Sennett, Mama, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, United Nations, 11th Circuit U.S, Appeals, U.S, Supreme, Besides Alabama, Holman Correctional Facility Locations: Alabama, U.S, Besides, Oklahoma, Mississippi, New York

☆ Nitrogen gas execution: How it works
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Lauren Mascarenhas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“And so the only real question is: Is execution with nitrogen gas cruel?”Why nitrogen gas? Only three states – Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi – have approved the use of nitrogen gas for capital punishment, and experts say there is no real blueprint for the execution method. However, doctors say that they cannot pinpoint if or when a person will lose consciousness when exposed to high concentrations of nitrogen gas. Because the circumstances of Smith’s planned execution are so specific and unique, it’s hard to draw comparisons to instances where nitrogen gas played a role in accidental or suicide deaths, Groner said. If the mask is not secured tightly enough, oxygen could leak in, prolonging the death, experts say.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, Smith’s, Dr, Joel Zivot, Zivot, Jonathan Groner, Groner, ”, ” Groner, “, There’s, shouldn’t, someone’s, Clayton Lockett, gurney Organizations: CNN, US, Supreme, Emory University, Ohio State University College of Medicine, United, Corrections Locations: Alabama, – Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi, United Nations

☆ Kenneth Smith: US Supreme Court declines to halt execution of Alabama inmate set to be the first to die by nitrogen gas
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Dakin Andone | Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Smith is due to be executed during a 30-hour window starting Thursday for his part in a 1988 murder for hire. The state 14 months ago aborted an effort to execute him by lethal injection because officials could not set an intravenous line before the execution warrant expired. Smith and his attorneys last week asked the Supreme Court to pause the execution so they could argue trying to execute Smith a second time would amount to cruel and unusual punishment, violating the Eighth and 14th amendments. In response, the state said the evidence Smith had been vomiting was largely from his own self-reporting. Smith’s execution would mark only the second time in US history that a state would attempt to execute an inmate a second time after initially failing, they said.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, Smith “, Smith’s, “, Mr, ”, Elizabeth Sennett, ” “, Dr, Joel Zivot, ” Smith, Sennett, Charles Sennett, he’d Organizations: CNN, Circuit, Appeals, of Corrections, Supreme, United Nations, UN, Human, Emory University Locations: Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi, ” Alabama

☆ With a Mask and Nitrogen Tank, Alabama Pioneers Execution Method
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Jonathan Allen(Reuters) - If federal courts give the green light, Alabama plans on Thursday to pioneer the first new method of judicial execution since lethal injections were introduced in 1982. "If this execution is successful then we're going to see nitrogen hypoxia take off across the country," said Rev. Smith is scheduled to be the first prisoner subjected to the method, which Alabama refers to as 'nitrogen hypoxia,' on Thursday evening at Alabama's Holman Correctional Facility. Alabama Solicitor General Edmund LaCour told federal judges last week that the state has since developed "the most painless and humane method of execution known to man." This is the first time he has had to sign a form acknowledging the risk that an execution method poses to others in the execution chamber.

Persons: Jonathan Allen, Jeff Hood, Kenneth Smith, Elizabeth Sennett, Smith, Kenny, Hood, Edmund LaCour, We're, Stéphanie Boucher, Paul Thomasch, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, Alabama Department, Corrections, Alabama's Holman Correctional Facility, 11th Circuit U.S, Alabama, Veterinary Medical Association, Worth, Allegro Industries, Allegro's, Walter Surface Technologies Locations: Alabama, . Oklahoma, Mississippi, New York, South Carolina, Allegro's Canada

☆ After a Botched Execution, Alabama Is Trying an Untested New Method
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs | More About Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Smith, who had been on death row for more than a quarter-century after being convicted of murdering a woman, recalled thanking God for his final week alive and thinking of his family. At the time, the state was using the same method of execution that has been used in the vast majority of modern U.S. executions: lethal injection. And like many other states, Alabama had problems. Now, more than a year later, Alabama is preparing once again this week to execute Mr. Smith, this time employing a method that has never been used in a U.S. execution: nitrogen hypoxia. Alabama is one of several states that are looking at alternatives, including nitrogen hypoxia, and some states have recently authorized the use of a firing squad.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, God, Smith’s Locations: gurney, Alabama, U.S, Europe

☆ Googlers are realizing layoffs are 'just business' — and they're starting to fight back
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Pushing back against Google leadersIn response to the most recent wave of cuts this week, Google software engineer Diane Hirsh Theriault took to LinkedIn to vent about Google's leadership. "We're continuing to support any impacted employees as they look for new roles here at Google and beyond," Google said. Though he acknowledged one director followed up with him after the news, he has "harbored a lot of anger and frustration at Google's leadership" over the way layoffs have been handled since January 2023. AdvertisementThat's probably a pretty tough thing to accept for Google workers aggrieved by the layoffs.

Persons: —, Larry Page, Sundar Pichai, Googlers, Diane Hirsh Theriault, RSVP, hiZPDomas5, Stephen McMurtry, Kenneth Smith, Gergely Orosz, Smith, Orosz Organizations: Service, Google, Business, Big Tech, LinkedIn, Alphabet Workers, Alphabet Workers Union Locations: Mountain View, New York

Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesHood and a correctional officer will be in the execution chamber when the warden activates the nitrogen gas system from an adjoining room. Witnesses, including attorneys, media witnesses and witnesses for the victim, will be watching the execution through windows from other adjoining rooms. Nitrogen gas makes up 78% of the air inhaled by humans and is harmless when inhaled with proper levels of oxygen. But nitrogen gas can become quickly deadly when it displaces adequate levels of oxygen. And the experts agree that nitrogen hypoxia is painless because it causes unconsciousness in seconds," the state argued.

Persons: Jeff Hood, Kenneth Smith, Smith, Hood, “ Smith, Elizabeth Sennett Organizations: The Alabama Department of Corrections, Prosecutors, Alabama Department of Corrections Locations: MONTGOMERY, Ala, Alabama

Alabama Judicial Building, where the state supreme court meets, is seen in Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Aluka Berry/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 22 (Reuters) - The Supreme Court of Alabama is weighing whether to allow the state to become the first to execute a prisoner with a novel method: asphyxiation using nitrogen gas. Smith's lawyers have said the untested protocol may violate the U.S. Constitution's ban on "cruel and unusual punishments." They are due to file their opposition to the attorney general's death warrant application with the court on Friday. Oklahoma and Mississippi have also approved nitrogen asphyxiation executions, but are yet to try the method.

Persons: Chris Aluka Berry, Steve Marshall, Kenneth Smith, Smith, Alabama's, gurney, Joel Zivot, Zivot, Jonathan Allen, Timothy Gardner Organizations: Alabama Judicial, REUTERS, Alabama, Alabama Department of Corrections, Emory School of Medicine, Thomson Locations: Alabama, Montgomery , Alabama, U.S, Oklahoma, Mississippi, New York

☆ U.S. Supreme Court allows death row inmate's lawsuit after failed execution
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Andrew Chung | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A majority of the justices in November cleared the way for the execution of Smith, sentenced to death for his role in a 1988 murder-for-hire plot. The method in Alabama posed an "intolerable risk of torture, cruelty or substantial pain," Smith's lawsuit stated. A judge dismissed Smith's lawsuit, but on Nov. 17, the day of his scheduled execution, the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. The 11th Circuit also in a separate decision stayed his execution, but after the state appealed to the Supreme Court, the justices allowed it to proceed. Smith's case is not a challenge to the death penalty itself.

Put another way, more Black children in metro Phoenix will go through a child maltreatment investigation than won’t. Almost all described a system so omnipresent among Black families that it has created a kind of communitywide dread: of that next knock on the door, of that next warrantless search of their home. Many Black families first moved there as a result of redlining and racial covenants that blocked them from renting or owning property elsewhere. In Maricopa County, Black children experienced child welfare investigations at one of the highest rates among large counties nationally, and nearly three times the rate of their white peers, from 2015 to 2019. But throughout the country, investigations were more pervasive among Black families.

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