Supreme Court denies request to suspend execution of Alabama inmate set to die by nitrogen gas

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama inmate scheduled to be the first person in the United States to be put to death with nitrogen gas is waiting to see if he will receive a last-minute reprieve from federal courts in his bid to halt the execution. Unless blocked by the courts, Alabama intends to execute Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, by the never-used method of nitrogen hypoxia Thursday. The U.S. Supreme Court denied Smith’s request for a stay Wednesday, rejecting his argument that it would be unconstitutional for the state to...