The United States Supreme Court is currently reviewing an emergency request from the State of Alabama. The state wants to continue with the execution of Jeffery Lee using nitrogen hypoxia, after lower courts disagreed on whether this method is legal under the Constitution.

美國最高法院目前正在審理阿拉巴馬州提交的緊急申請。在下級法院對此方法在憲法下是否合法存在分歧後，該州希望繼續使用氮氣窒息法處決 Jeffery Lee。

The legal argument focuses on the Eighth Amendment, which forbids 'cruel and unusual punishment.' The case has seen several changes in direction. Initially, Judge Emily Marks decided the method was legal, comparing it to older forms of punishment. However, after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, Judge Marks changed her ruling and blocked the method, stating that the evidence showed it violated constitutional rights.

法律爭論的焦點在於第八修正案，該修正案禁止「殘忍且不尋常的懲罰」。此案經歷了幾次方向轉變。最初，Emily Marks 法官判定該方法合法，將其與較早期的懲罰形式進行比較。然而，在美國第 11 巡迴上訴法院表示異議後，Marks 法官更改了裁決並阻止了該方法，指出證據顯示其違反了憲法權利。

The 11th Circuit Court argued that the process creates a 'substantial risk of serious harm.' Specifically, they emphasized that the one to three minutes it takes for a person to lose consciousness is 'intolerable' and causes severe breathing problems. These findings are supported by witnesses from previous executions who described inmates shaking and struggling to breathe. Furthermore, experts warned about risks such as brain damage or the inmate choking if the mask leaks.

第 11 巡迴法院認為該過程會造成「嚴重傷害的實質風險」。具體而言，他們強調一個人失去意識所需的一到三分鐘是「令人無法忍受的」，且會導致嚴重的呼吸問題。這些發現得到了先前處刑見證人的支持，他們描述囚犯在發抖並掙扎著呼吸。此外，專家警告可能存在腦損傷或面罩漏氣導致囚犯窒息等風險。

Opinions on the matter remain divided. Alabama officials assert that nitrogen hypoxia is a more humane alternative to lethal injection. On the other hand, Mr. Lee's lawyers and human rights groups argue that the method is experimental and could be considered torture. Additionally, the case is complicated by 'judicial override,' a practice where a judge ignores a jury's recommendation for life in prison. Although this practice was banned in Alabama in 2017, it was not applied to older cases like Mr. Lee's.

對此事的看法依然分歧。阿拉巴馬州官員堅稱，氮氣窒息法比致命注射是更人道的替代方案。另一方面，Lee 先生的律師與人權團體則認為該方法具有實驗性質，可被視為酷刑。此外，此案因「司法否決」而變得複雜，這是一種法官無視陪審團建議終身監禁之做法。雖然這種做法於 2017 年在阿拉巴馬州被禁止，但並未應用於像 Lee 先生這樣的舊案中。

The execution of Jeffery Lee is currently on hold while the Supreme Court decides if Alabama's nitrogen hypoxia method is legally valid.

在最高法院決定阿拉巴馬州的氮氣窒息法是否合法之前，Jeffery Lee 的處刑目前暫停。