Louisiana Set to Conduct First Nitrogen Gas Execution After Court Ruling

A federal appeals court has cleared the way for the March 18 execution of Jessie Hoffman Jr., marking the state's first use of nitrogen hypoxia and its first execution in 15 years.

• The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's injunction, allowing Louisiana to proceed with the nitrogen gas execution of Jessie Hoffman Jr.
• Hoffman, convicted of the 1996 murder of Mary Elliott, is scheduled to be executed on March 18 at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
• The nitrogen hypoxia method involves strapping the inmate to a gurney and administering pure nitrogen gas through a full-face respirator mask, a process similar to Alabama's protocol.
• Hoffman's attorneys argue the method constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, citing expert testimony likening its effects to drowning and reports of visible distress in previous executions using this method in Alabama.
• The case may still reach the U.S. Supreme Court, as Hoffman's legal team seeks to halt the execution and further examine the constitutionality of nitrogen hypoxia.

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