A lawyer representing Arkansas' prison system says the state Supreme Court should let eight executions proceed because questions raised about a sedative's efficacy have been adequately addressed by judges in other parts of the country.
Eight inmates say Arkansas' three-drug execution protocol could pose a cruel and unusual punishment, and that the state reneged on a pledge to share information.
Justice Courtney Goodson questioned whether the court had the authority to rule, with "dueling experts" disputing whether the surgical sedative midazolam fully knocks inmates out before two harsher drugs kill them.
Arkansas Solicitor General Lee Rudofsky said Thursday the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts have authorized the protocol, and that inmates have not proposed a reasonable alternative.
One drug Arkansas acquired for use in executions expires next month.
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.