COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A federal appeals court has rejected Ohio's new three-drug lethal injection process as the state struggles to resume executions.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati in a 2-1 decision Thursday ruled the state's proposed use of a contested sedative called Midazolam unconstitutional.
The court also said the state's decision to use two other drugs in the process that Ohio abandoned years ago prevents the reintroduction of their use. The ruling is a blow to the state, which hopes to execute several condemned killers beginning next month.
A spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's office says options include asking for a full appeals court review or an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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