US State Of Alabama Executes Inmate Kenneth Smith In First-Ever Use Of Nitrogen Gas

Kenneth Smith, the first death row inmate to undergo execution by nitrogen gas in Alabama, was put to death, signaling the introduction of a novel execution method in the United States. This approach, referred to as nitrogen hypoxia, has been shrouded in secrecy, raising concerns among experts about the potential for excessive pain or even torture.

On Thursday, the US Supreme Court rejected a last-minute appeal by Smith's attorneys to stop the execution, with liberal Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor expressing a desire to halt the process. The Supreme Court had also declined a similar request the day before.

Kenneth Smith's execution occurred at 8:25 p.m. local time on Thursday, as announced by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. Smith, originally sentenced to death for his involvement in a 1988 murder-for-hire case, had previously survived the state's initial attempt to execute him via lethal injection in 2022. For his last meal on Thursday, he chose steak, hashbrowns, and eggs, as revealed by the Alabama Department of Corrections.

The specific details of the nitrogen hypoxia execution remain elusive, as the state's published protocol contains redactions that experts argue conceal crucial information from public scrutiny. In court records, the state justified the redactions as essential for security reasons, asserting its belief that death by nitrogen gas represents "perhaps the most humane method of execution ever devised."

Smith, who was convicted for a murder-for-hire committed in 1988, had previously survived the state's unsuccessful effort to execute him through lethal injection in 2022.