(CNN) The planned federal execution of Keith Dwayne Nelson for Friday has been halted by District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan so his claims against the government for its use of pentobarbital may proceed. Nelson argues that the government's use of pentobarbital without a prescription violates the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The US government maintains that pentobarbital is not subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act when it is used for lethal injections and has appealed the decision. Nelson, 45, was scheduled to be the fifth federal inmate executed this summer after the Justice Department reinstated federal executions after a 17-year hiatus. Nelson confessed to raping the girl and strangling her to death with a wire.

Source: CNN August 27, 2020 15:56 UTC