Tennessee Execution Protocol Under Scrutiny After Pike Case

The Tennessee execution protocol is under intense scrutiny after Christa Pike survived an attempted lethal injection on Sept. 30. Officials gave Pike, 50, two doses of the drug pentobarbital, her lawyers said in court filings, and she was later taken to a hospital. Attention has since turned to the rulebook behind the procedure, which was shortened and partly withheld from public view last year.

What happened on Sept. 30

Pike was scheduled to die at 10 a.m. An appeals court halted the execution about an hour before it was due to begin, but the U.S. Supreme Court later allowed it to go ahead, according to the Associated Press account. Witnesses said the curtain to the chamber opened at 7:27 p.m. By about 8:26 p.m., a second dose had been given, Reuters reported.

The state’s rules call for a second set of syringes if the inmate is not deceased after the first. The Tennessee Department of Correction said staff followed every step of the approved procedure. Pike’s lawyers argued in an emergency motion that the process violated her right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment.

Pike was convicted in the 1995 killing of Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old classmate in Knoxville. She was 18 at the time. Had the execution been completed, she would have been the first woman put to death in Tennessee in more than 200 years, NBC News reporting noted.

Why the Tennessee execution protocol is drawing questions

The Tennessee execution protocol in force today looks very different from the one before it. Reporting by The New York Times found that the protocol adopted last year is less than half the length of the 2018 version. Details about certain staff members and about the drug are now shielded, and some instructions became vague or vanished.

One example is the requirement that execution teams practice placing an IV line. The current text says only that staff must be certified, licensed or qualified to place IV lines, without spelling out what that means. In the 2018 version, only about five pages appeared to have been removed, mostly security details about the prison.

The corrections department declined to answer questions about the changes, citing pending litigation. In earlier lawsuits, it also cited attorney-client privilege and a protective order when staff were asked about how the protocol was developed.

How other states handle the same drug

Texas also uses pentobarbital, but its written rules require drug team members to have at least a year of professional experience. New members must be supervised through two executions before working alone.

Florida’s protocol names the certifications each team member needs. It also tells staff how to prepare for problems, including trouble finding a vein. Idaho requires outside medical services on site to give aid, including resuscitation efforts if needed. The Tennessee execution protocol lists no such contingencies publicly, according to The New York Times.

A second problem this year

Pike’s case was not the state’s only difficulty in 2026. In May, officials called off the lethal injection of Tony Carruthers after staff spent more than an hour trying and failing to place an IV, Deccan Chronicle reported. The Times counted two failed attempts among Tennessee’s three scheduled executions this year.

Reaction from state leaders

Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican in his final months in office, paused executions and ordered a comprehensive review by a third party. Corrections Commissioner Frank Strada, who led the development of the new protocol, said he will step down later this month.

Republicans hold a supermajority in the legislature and say they remain committed to carrying out death sentences. House Speaker Cameron Sexton told the Times the state will look at different methods and ways to speed up the process. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the front-runner to succeed Lee, has called for a return to the electric chair.

Critics focus on secrecy in the Tennessee execution protocol. Robin Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center said hidden details make it harder to ask hard questions. David Raybin, a lawyer who helped write the state’s death penalty law, said the aim of the confidentiality rules was to avoid sensationalism, but that the move to lethal injection added people and complexity.

Pike’s condition and open questions

Her lawyers said on Thursday that Pike can walk with some help but still struggles with concentration and memory. Before the attempt, they had warned about her small veins and underlying medical conditions.

Several points remain unclear. The Nashville Fire Department said emergency medical services were called to the prison at 8:50 p.m., and the first unit arrived at 9:15 p.m., the Times reported. It is not known whether Pike received care before that unit arrived. It is also unclear whether Tennessee will seek a new execution date, and what the review will conclude.