Supreme Court Permits the Resumption of Lethal Injection Executions

The Supreme Court today upheld the use of a three-drug cocktail for execution by lethal injection, ending a de facto moratorium on the practice in place since September. By a 7-to-2 vote, the justices rejected a challenge to the state of Kentucky's use of three chemicals to execute criminals. The two death row inmates in the case had not asked the court to spare them execution but rather that the state use a different type of drug to conduct the execution. For past coverage, see "The Court Puts Death on Hold."

—Alex Kingsbury