Document Category: Lethal Injection

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 their own fluids and experience sensations of terror and panic, like waterboarding (pp. 7–9, 13). These risks are magnified by Arizona’s history of illegally importing drugs, reliance on high-risk compounding pharmacies, and repeated failure to employ qualified medical personnel (pp. 10–14). The state’s record includes hiring executioners with malpractice histories, using unlicensed staff, and even determining lethal doses using Wikipedia (pp. 14–15). Finally, the brief highlights Arizona’s secrecy—exemplified by its termination of an independent review. (pp. 15–17). Defenders can use this brief to challenge the constitutionality of the pentobarbital protocol.