A Project of the University of Michigan Law School and the MDefenders Program

Amicus brief arguing that Arizona’s lethal injection protocol using pentobarbital is likely to cause excruciating pain, is compounded by dubious drug sourcing and unqualified personnel, and is shielded by secrecy.

This amicus brief urges the Arizona Supreme Court not to issue an execution warrant without first conducting a full and independent review of the state’s lethal injection practices. Drawing on research and autopsy data, the brief explains that Arizona’s one-drug pentobarbital protocol virtually guarantees the onset of acute pulmonary edema—causing the condemned to drown in […]