Oklahoma's methods and procedures for executing state prisoners was deemed unconstitutional by a judge this week.
County district court judge Patricia Parrish stated in her ruling that prison officials breached due process laws outlined in the Constitution by omitting the name of the company sourcing the drugs, using a combination of different chemicals and tweaking dosages of lethal injections.
According to Reuters, the case comes as states scramble to secure doses of lethal chemicals, after constraints placed on distribution corporations have stalled sales.
Two inmates initially brought the case before Oklahoma judges, Reuters reported.
Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner were scheduled for March executions, but their capital punishment dates were pushed to April, since Oklahoma prison officials couldn't get the drugs necessary for the lethal injection.
The inmates' legal representatives stated the use of untested and undisclosed combinations of chemicals administered to inmates on death row for years might cause undo suffering. That, in turn, would be a direct violation of the Constitution's protection against cruel and unusual punishment, Reuters reported the lawyers as arguing.
Lockett and Warner's lawyers sought to find out which drugs would be used for lethal injections.
Oklahoma introduced a new system last week that would grant the Department of Corrections the ability to choose from five different lethal injection combinations.
Until now, Oklahoma has been using a mixture of three drugs to administer lethal injections: pentobarbital, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride.
Missouri, Ohio, Georgia and Florida have also recently sought out new drugs to use in their lethal injections, after certain companies stopped selling their drugs for executions, according to Reuters.
