The execution of an Alabama death row inmate by lethal injection occurred early Friday morning, July 21, despite voicing his concern about the state's history of botching the said procedure. The three liberal justices on the Supreme Court took aim at their conservative colleagues for allowing this execution to take place.
James Barber was executed at about 2:00 AM local time, and the court, which has a conservative 6-3 majority, refused to suspend the execution.
Liberal Justices' Viewpoints
Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in a dissenting opinion that the court's denial of Barber's request for a temporary halt authorizes Alabama to experiment again with human life, as reported by NBC News. Sotomayor is supported by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
According to Barber, the 8th Amendment protects him from cruel and unusual punishment. Hence his execution would be unconstitutional.
His argument was made because of the state's challenges with executing three convicts last year. Alan Miller and Kenneth Smith were two of the inmates whose executions were halted because prison personnel were unable to find a vein. On the other hand, there was a three-hour wait before the execution of another prisoner, Joe James.
After conducting a thorough assessment of its processes, the state ultimately succeeded in persuading the Supreme Court and lower courts that the execution could proceed.
Sotomayor stated, "Today's decision is another troubling example of this court stymying the development of Eighth Amendment law by pushing forward executions without complete information."
She mentioned that the court had reversed lower courts' postponement of execution in the Miller and Smith instances.
And, she continued, "Perhaps the state would have been forced to produce evidence in discovery that could explain what kept going wrong and avoided inflicting unnecessary pain on these two men" if it had not done so.
Death penalty supporters have criticized last-minute legal applications that they claim are meant just to prolong the process.
Also Read: Alabama to Continue Using Lethal Injection After Failed Executions; Death Row Inmate Appeals
Who Is James Barber?
In 2003, Barber received a death sentence for the brutal murder of a 75-year-old lady at her home in Harvest, Alabama. Barber was found guilty of fatally bashing 75-year-old Dorothy Epps and stealing her purse in 2001.
According to Mirror, Epps suffered from multiple skull fractures, cranial lacerations, brain hemorrhage, and rib fractures. The crime Barber committed was described as cruel, heinous, and wicked by the judge who handed down his punishment.
In a 2012 court hearing, Barber reportedly claimed he had smoked "hundreds of dollars' worth" of crack cocaine, drank at least a case of beer, and taken a few prescription pain pills before arriving at Epps' house on the night of the murder.
After that, he just remembered being inside the home and taking up a hammer. Barber described how he recoiled from his own reflection in a mirror after the incident. He had no idea why he hit Epps.
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