Nebraska supreme court outlaws electric chair

The Nebraska supreme court on Friday ruled that the electric chair is cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling effectively suspends executions in the only state that made sole use of the practice.

The Nebraska supreme court ruled that the electric chair was cruel and unusual punishment and that it violates the state constitution. According to a source there is evidence that the electric chair inflicts intense pain and agonizing suffering. As of now there is no form of execution but the attorney general said that he is in the process of getting a new method of execution. One option is to use lethal injection that does not rely on the three chemicals that is the subject of a pending challenge in the United States Supreme Court. There is no other state that solely depends on the electric chair but seven other states allow inmates to choose the electric chair over lethal injection. The challenge in Nebraska came about because of a man that was convicted in 2000 of kidnapping and murdering a three year old child. Human bone fragments were found in the man's dog's stomach. It is sickening that the court would think that the electric chair is cruel and unconstitutional because it causes intense pain and makes death unpleasant for a convicted killer. I think that the chair should be used only if there is more than enough physical evidence that links the convicted person to the crime.