SC Supreme Court Upholds Execution Methods

The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that lethal injection, electrocution, and firing squad are constitutional methods for executions, upholding a 2021 law that introduced firing squads due to difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs. The decision follows lawsuits from death row inmates arguing these methods were cruel and unusual, which the court rejected. Justice John Few noted that while any execution method might be 'botched,' it does not render the method cruel under the constitution. Governor Henry McMaster and other state officials lauded the decision as a step toward enforcing lawful sentences and providing closure to victims' families. South Carolina has 32 death row inmates and has not carried out an execution since 2011. The ruling makes South Carolina one of five states to allow firing squads for executions.