LAS VEGAS—The execution of Scott Dozier was put on hold Thursday, Oct. 9, after Clark County District Court Judge Jennifer P. Togliatti enjoined the Nevada Department of Corrections from administering a paralytic as the final drug in its experimental execution protocol.

Lawyers from the Nevada Attorney General’s Office requested a stay of execution to seek review by the Nevada Supreme Court.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada has repeatedly called on the Department of Corrections and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to put this execution on hold, citing a lack of transparency from state officials and concerns about training and with the never-before-used drug protocol—the sedative diazepam, the dangerous opioid fentanyl, and the paralytic cisatracurium.

ACLU of Nevada Legal Director Amy Rose said:

“Recent court hearings about the state’s experimental execution plan only confirmed the ACLU of Nevada’s concerns about the likelihood of a botched execution. We were worried the proposed use of a paralytic would mask possible suffering by Mr. Dozier, and the judge agreed. We remain concerned about the proposed drug combination, however, with or without the paralytic. This case is ripe for review by the Nevada Supreme Court, and Nevadans deserve the chance to see this execution scheme fully vetted in public.”

ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Tod Story said:

“Regardless of the protocol concocted by NDOC, many Nevadans are opposed to the death penalty and do not think the state should have the power to execute its people.  We will deliver the signatures of hundreds of Nevadans who oppose this execution to Governor Sandoval on Monday, November 13. And we will fight this ultimate taking of life and liberty until it is eliminated.”

About the ACLU of Nevada

The ACLU of Nevada is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to the defense and advancement of civil liberties and civil rights for all people in Nevada since 1966. For additional information, please visit http://www.aclunv.org.