Ohio officials say the state is asking the U.S. Supreme Court for a ruling that Ohio's protocol for carrying out lethal injections is constitutional.
Gov. John Kasich and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said in a statement yesterday that the state will ask the high court to reverse a federal appeals court decision delaying the Wednesday execution of Charles Lorraine.
Lorraine was condemned to death in the 1986 slaying of a Trumbull County couple. But the federal appeals court agreed his execution should be delayed to review changes Ohio's made to lethal injection procedures.
Lorraine argued that Ohio broke its promise to adhere strictly to its execution procedures. The state said any deviation to the protocol was minor and does not violate an inmate's rights.