By: Gary Grado | Arizona Capitol Times
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments April 29 on whether the use of the sedative midazolam in a three-drug combination makes for an unconstitutional execution.
The drug was used in three executions, including one in Arizona, in which the condemned prisoner reacted physically in ways that left critics questioning whether the men were in pain and the execution was cruel and unusual punishment. For example, Joseph Wood reportedly snored and moved involuntarily when an Arizona executioner repeatedly injected him with the drug and a pain killer for two hours July 23.
