Reported Tennessee Department of Correction execution procedures position media witnesses to begin observing only after the condemned person has been strapped to a gurney and connected to intravenous lines, with personnel who administer injections located in a separate room from media witnesses.
October 29, 2025
high
procedural
Described operational arrangement for media observation during lethal injection executions.
Reported Tennessee execution protocol outlines that after syringes containing saline and pentobarbital are administered a team leader signals the warden, a five-minute waiting period begins, then blinds are closed and cameras turned off before a medical professional determines death and the warden announces that the sentence was carried out.
October 29, 2025
high
procedural
Step-by-step elements of the execution protocol as described in reporting.
Under federal law, if a permanent U.S. Attorney is not nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate within 120 days, the judges of the federal district court may appoint an interim U.S. Attorney until the vacancy is filled.
October 28, 2025
high
temporal
Describes the vacancy-filling procedure applicable to U.S. Attorney positions when a presidential nomination and Senate confirmation do not occur within a statutory 120-day period.
The U.S. House of Representatives can hold pro forma sessions to technically maintain that the House is in session during periods when much of the federal government is otherwise closed, such as a government shutdown.
October 21, 2025
high
procedural
Pro forma sessions are brief meetings used to satisfy constitutional or procedural requirements while normal legislative business is paused.
Lawmakers have in some instances been sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives during pro forma sessions.
October 21, 2025
high
procedural
Swearing-in ceremonies or the administration of oaths have been performed during brief pro forma sessions in prior practice.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) can receive custody of and transport human remains during armed conflicts.
October 17, 2025
high
general
The ICRC and its national Red Cross/Red Crescent societies often serve as neutral intermediaries for humanitarian transfers, including the handling of remains in conflict zones.
Florida carries out executions using a three-drug injection protocol consisting of a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart.
October 14, 2025
high
procedural
Describes the method and drug classes used in Florida's execution protocol as reported by the state corrections authority.