[JURIST] California Governor Jerry Brown [official website], on Friday, introduced a proposal [regulation announcement, PDF] for a single-drug execution process. The new protocol would replace the existing three-drug execution protocol. The state would be allowed to determine one of four drugs to use on a case by case basis including: amobarbital, pentobarbital, secobarbital and thiopental. California has more than 700 inmates on death row and the state has not executed anyone since 2006. Gov. Brown has indicated that the new protocol dos not mean that any executions will take place anytime soon; but, it will change the procedure for future executions. Executions were halted due to a suit [ABA journal article] that claimed two individuals whose family members were executed in the 1980’s were not executed in compliance with the law. California has not used capital punishment in ten years.

Use of the death penalty has been a controversial issue throughout the US in 2015. In a recent JURIST op-ed, guest columnist John Bessler discussed new changes in the evolution of capital punishment [JURIST op-ed]. Last week a judge for the US District Court for the District of Utah denied an appeal [JURIST report] by 74-year-old death row inmate Ron Lafferty to place a hold on his federal case to challenge his execution by firing squad. In September an Oklahoma appeals court granted an emergency stay of execution [JURIST report] for inmate Richard Glossip several hours before he was scheduled for his sentence. In June the US Supreme Court held that the use of the drug midazolam may be used in executions [JURIST report] without violating the constitution. In April the Tennessee Supreme Court had postponed the execution [JURIST report] of four inmates on death row while it determines whether current protocols are constitutional, effectively halting all executions in the state. Also in April, the Delaware Senate voted to repeal the death penalty [JURIST report], but the legislation includes an exemption for the 15 inmates currently on death row.