Lee: Tennessee high court likely won’t set executions soon

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gov. Bill Lee says Tennessee’s Supreme Court will likely wait until the state finalizes changes to its lethal injection process before it schedules any future executions. Lee’s comments Thursday came after the release of a blistering report that found multiple flaws in how Tennessee executes inmates. The review found that Tennessee has not complied with its own lethal injection process since it was revised in 2018, resulting in several executions that were conducted without proper testing of the drugs used. Lee has since promised that new leaders inside the corrections department will change the lethal injection protocol along with input from the governor’s and attorney general’s offices. However, no timeline has been provided on when those changes will be completed.