A Kentucky judge says the state must either switch to a single drug to perform executions within 90 days or prepare to go to trial in a lawsuit challenging the state's 3-drug method of carrying out capital punishment.
Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd ruled Wednesday that the state's 3-drug method may no longer be necessary now that other states have successfully used a single drug to execute condemned inmates.
The ruling comes about 20 months after Shepherd halted all executions in Kentucky. He imposed the ban after inmates challenged the three-drug method.
At least 5 states have switched to a 1-drug execution method. 3 states - Ohio, Washington and Arizona - have conducted single-drug lethal injections. Arizona put an inmate to death Wednesday using only pentobarbital.
Source: Associated Press, April 25, 2012