MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Alabama’s use of nitrogen gas to put prisoners to death needs more study of whether it violates a constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, days before a scheduled execution by that method.
The execution method, first used in 2024 by the state of Alabama, involves strapping a respirator to the person’s face and replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas, causing death from lack of oxygen.














