The US Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the execution of a man in Alabama who was scheduled to die by nitrogen gas inhalation. The stay came after a lower court ruled the novel execution method likely violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. This marks the first time a state has attempted to use nitrogen gas to execute an inmate. Lawyers for the condemned argued the method could cause a prolonged and agonizing death. Alabama officials maintain the procedure is humane and consistent with existing legal standards. The Supreme Court’s decision does not rule on the constitutionality of nitrogen gas execution, but pauses the planned execution while the legal challenges continue. The inmate, Kenneth Smith, was previously convicted of murder in 1988.