Judge bars Alabama nitrogen gas execution, says method is unconstitutionally cruel

US district judge Emily C Marks permanently blocked Alabama from executing Jeffery Lee using nitrogen gas, declaring the method violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. This decision follows a previous appeals court ruling that had found the method constitutional. The legal battle is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, which has previously allowed nitrogen executions to proceed in other instances, as the judicial system determines the legality of this specific execution method.