A U.S. federal judge has ordered a temporary halt to the scheduled executions next month of four inmates, saying that President Donald Trump’s administration lacked legal authorization to use its intended lethal-injection drug.

The ruling, late on Wednesday by District Judge Tanya Chutkan, effectively blocks the Justice Department’s attempt to resume the use of the death penalty after a 16-year hiatus. The four inmates argued that the Justice Department’s plan to use the drug pentobarbital ran afoul of federal laws.

The government previously executed condemned inmates using a three-drug protocol, with the first drug being sodium thiopental, which mirrored many state protocols read more >>>

Source:: VOANews.Com