8 executions delayed in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. John Kasich delayed eight executions Friday as a court fight continues over the constitutionality of the state’s lethal injection process.

The Republican governor said the timing of arguments before a Cincinnati federal appeals court necessitated the delay.

“These delays are necessary to allow the judicial process to come to a full resolution, and ensure that the state can move forward with the executions after the appeal is settled,” Kasich said.

The delay also leaves open the possibility that, should an appeal reach the U.S. Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s nominee for the court’s vacant ninth seat, will be confirmed and able to hear the case.

The delay was another setback for death penalty supporters who hoped that new supplies of drugs obtained by Ohio last year would allow executions to move forward after a three-years-plus delay.