Tennessee Seeks to Block Access to Execution Drug Leftovers
The state argues that letting lawyers inspect remaining pentobarbital vials would identify the supplier, a move that could leave the state without a source for lethal injection.
By Lucas Sheridan ·
Tennessee officials filed a motion on Friday asking a judge to prevent the legal team of death row inmate Christa Pike from inspecting leftover vials of pentobarbital.
The state seeks to rescind a portion of an existing order that allowed Pike's attorneys to collect and test the drug used in her September execution attempt. The move is grounded in a state law that prohibits the public disclosure of individuals or entities involved in procuring lethal substances.
In a court filing, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti wrote that Pike's counsel and experts cannot be allowed to see or handle the leftover vials. An affidavit from an unnamed Tennessee Department of Correction employee stated that the drug supplier would become identifiable if the legal team reviewed the vials or their labeling. The employee noted that residue from the attempted execution is most likely found in these specific vials.
The employee explained that the supplier was concerned its identity would be exposed even with redactions on the labels. The filing cited a precedent where another supplier stopped communicating with the department in 2024 after its identity was revealed. The state expressed fear it would be unable to find other providers if it lost access to its current source.
Pike’s attorneys argue that identifying the supplier is not the primary goal of the litigation. Luke Ihnen, one of Pike's lawyers, said the team needs to review how the pentobarbital was labeled, stored, mixed, transported, and handled. He stated that the team must determine if the drug was expired or improperly prepared. "We still don't know exactly what happened that night," Ihnen said. "Those types of things are all valuable pieces of information about what went wrong."
In September, Pike received two doses of pentobarbital during her execution. Her lawyers contend the drug likely pooled in her arms instead of entering her bloodstream correctly, causing burns and blisters. The execution team used about 10 needles and attempted several IV sites on both arms before the procedure concluded. Pike spent days in a hospital after the attempt, suffering from pneumonia, a blood clot, and the inability to swallow or move her arms.
Pike has returned to prison and reports being in constant pain. She described waking up alone in the hospital confused and hurting. "There hasn't been a moment since that night when I haven't been in pain," she said in a statement dictated to her lawyers. She noted that her body, arms, hands, and throat hurt, and that she still struggles to speak.
The failed execution has prompted a review of Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol. The state paused executions in 2022 to investigate the procedure and resumed them in 2025 using a single-drug cocktail. In May, a different inmate was granted a one-year reprieve after officials spent more than an hour failing to establish an IV line. Governor-elect Marsha Blackburn has called for exploring alternative execution methods, while Pike’s attorneys ask outgoing Governor Bill Lee to change her sentence to life in prison.
