Tennessee Governor Allows State’s First Execution in Five Years to Proceed Despite Concerns Over Lethal Injection Drug

Tennessee Governor Allows State’s First Execution in Five Years to Proceed Despite Concerns Over Lethal Injection Drug

On May 22, 2025, Tennessee exe­cut­ed Oscar Smith by lethal injec­tion, mark­ing the state’s first exe­cu­tion in five years despite a pend­ing law­suit chal­leng­ing the state’s new lethal injec­tion pro­to­col that relies on one drug — pen­to­bar­bi­tal. Other death row pris­on­ers and attor­neys for Mr. Smith had urged Governor Bill Lee to grant a reprieve, cit­ing an upcom­ing January 2026 tri­al that will deter­mine the con­sti­tu­tion­al­i…