SC Supreme Court rules in favor of death row inmates’ request for lethal injection information

COLUMBIA, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The South Carolina Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday reversing a Circuit Court’s decision to deny death row inmates’ requests for information regarding the availability of lethal injection drugs.

In September 2022, The circuit court ruled in favor of the four death row inmates saying executions carried out by electrocution and firing squad violate the state’s constitution. However, following the hearing, the inmates filed a cross-appeal arguing that before the trial, the court denied their request for more information on the State’s efforts to obtain the drugs for lethal injection and the process they used to determine the drugs were not “available” in South Carolina.

In the inmates’ appeal, they asked the South Carolina Supreme Court to rule on their request for this further information before deciding whether executions carried out by electrocution and firing squad violate the state’s constitution.

The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the circuit court abused its discretion by denying the inmates this information, adding that their requests were relevant and necessary to the case’s judgment.

Officials ended the ruling by ordering the circuit court to compile and present the information within 60 days.

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