US federal judge blocks Alabama from executing man by nitrogen gas

A US federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked Alabama from executing Jeffery Lee using nitrogen gas, ruling that the method constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. US District Judge Emily C. Marks issued this decision after a prior ruling by an appeals court had reversed her initial finding that the nitrogen gas execution method was constitutional. The judge's final decision prevents the state of Alabama from carrying out the execution by this specific method, citing violations of the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. This ruling marks a significant intervention in the state's use of novel execution techniques.