NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Governor Bill Lee said he suspects the state is “closer than further” from having a new death penalty protocol in place, which is required before Tennessee can resume executions amid a two-year pause.
In April 2022, Gov. Lee ordered all executions be paused in TN after discovering the state wasn’t testing the lethal injection drugs as required in its own protocol, among other problems. Lee then tasked the TN Dept. of Correction and other organizations with developing a new death penalty protocol before the state could resume executions. Lee didn’t give the department a deadline to complete the protocol.
