South Carolina Supreme Court Halts Executions

South Carolina is set to carry out its first execution in over a decade on September 20, with Freddie Eugene Owens scheduled for lethal injection, electrocution, or firing squad. While Owens' execution proceeds, the state Supreme Court has paused issuing additional death warrants to decide on a minimum time interval between executions, as requested by other death row inmates. The inmates argue that rapid successive executions increase the risk of errors and overburden staff. South Carolina's last execution was in 2011, and the state has struggled to obtain lethal injection drugs since. The Supreme Court will consider whether to impose a three-month interval between executions, with the state suggesting a shorter period. Owens has until September 6 to choose his method of execution, failing which he will face the electric chair by default.