According to court filings, defense lawyers filed a civil action lawsuit requesting that the state of Tennessee declare lethal injection to be unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment.
The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
This comes after Governor Bill Lee last Wednesday gave Tony Carruthers, a death row convict who avoided execution due to a medical issue, a temporary one-year reprieve.
According to TDOC, medical staff promptly set up a primary IV line for Carruthers’ fatal injection execution; but, they were unable to set up a backup line in accordance with the state’s lethal injection policy.
After that, the crew carried on according to protocol, but they were unable to locate another appropriate vein. They stated that Carruthers was taken back to his cell when they were unable to locate his vein.
