Executions were effectively put on hold in North Carolina in early 2007, when the North Carolina Medical Board adopted a policy that made physicians who participate in executions subject to disciplinary action. Five scheduled executions were put on hold, and other death sentences weren't scheduled while the legal dispute was worked out. Separately, death row inmates sued the state over the protocol used in executions.
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Perdue signs Racial Justice Act
Gov. Bev Perdue signed a bill into law Tuesday that prohibits race to determine whether someone faces the death penalty.
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DA: Bias test an attempt to end death penalty
Legislation that would allow statistical evidence to establish racial bias as the reason prosecutors sought or jurors imposed death sentences could do away with capital punishment in North Carolina, Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby said.
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Court: Physicians can take part in executions
The state Supreme Court ruled Friday that the N.C. Medical Board cannot punish physicians who take part in executions.
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Supreme Court tries to untangle death penalty debate
The state Supreme Court tries to determine what lawmakers intended when they said a physician must be present at executions.
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Supreme Court to rule on death penalty dispute
The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear the dispute over the role of a physician in North Carolina executions. Arguments are scheduled for Nov. 18.
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N.C. Medical Board appeals execution decision
The North Carolina Medical Board on Wednesday defended its right to punish physicians who participate in executions, arguing in an appeal that the Legislature never intended for doctors to take part.
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Supreme Court Upholds Kentucky's Use of Lethal Injections
In a ruling that could affect the use of the death penalty in North Carolina, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Kentucky's use of lethal injection executions Wednesday.
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Board to Appeal Ruling Over Docs' Role in Executions
The N.C. Medical Board will appeal a ruling that says it cannot discipline doctors if they participate in prison executions.
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State Officials Sidestep Execution Debate
The North Carolina Council of State on Tuesday tossed the debate over the death penalty back to the courts, saying it wasn't their place to sort out the controversial issue.
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Attorneys Seek State Delay in Lethal Injection Debate
Attorneys for death-row inmates asked state officials Wednesday to put off possible changes to North Carolina's execution protocol in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to address the constitutionality of lethal injections.
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High Court Will Hear Lethal Injection Case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to consider the constitutionality of lethal injections.
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Judge: Medical Board Can't Punish Death Penalty Docs
The North Carolina Medical Board cannot punish physicians for participating in executions, a judge ruled Friday.
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Tennessee Death Penalty Ruling Could Impact N.C.
A federal court ruling in a Tennessee death penalty case could add to the dispute over North Carolina's execution protocol.
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Stay of N.C. Executions to Stay Awhile
Almost a year has passed since North Carolina carried out its last execution, and observers say no resolution to legal disputes over the death penalty is in sight.
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Judge: Medical Board Wrong to Punish Death Penalty Docs
The North Carolina Medical Board overstepped its authority in threatening to discipline any physician who participates in an execution, a judge said Thursday. He also told the Council of State it needs to look at its death protocol again.
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Does the Death Penalty Cost More Than a Life Sentence?
That’s a question state lawmakers want answered, and now they're calling for a study before there's any movement to restart executions in North Carolina.
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Questions Abound as Death Penalty Proponents, Opponents Vie Before Judge
An administrative law judge must decide whether the Council of State needs to reconsider the way North Carolina executes death-row inmates.
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Judge: Inmates Can Be Heard on Death Penalty
A state judge ruled Monday that death-row inmates might have the right to argue the merits of lethal injection with state officials.
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Physician Says He Never Participated in Executions
A physician who has observed several recent executions said he never helped put any inmates to death, further clouding a dispute between state prison officials and the state medical society.
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Death Row Inmate Unhappy About Delayed Execution
Death row inmate Allen Holman says he's unhappy his execution is delayed and said he doesn't think a physician is needed to carry out his death sentence.
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Doctors' Letters Triggered Execution Dispute
A handful of doctors wrote letters to the N.C. Medical Board last spring regarding their concerns about a physician's role in capital punishment.
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State Sues Medical Board Over Death Penalty Policy
The state Department of Correction filed suit Tuesday against the North Carolina Medical Board over the board's policy to discipline any physician who participates in an execution.
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State Senator Files Bill for Execution Moratorium
A state lawmaker filed a bill Wednesday that would impose an official moratorium on lethal injection until legal and ethical questions can be answered.
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Lawmakers Divided on Calls for Death Penalty Suspension
More than a dozen state legislators Monday joined the call to Gov. Mike Easley for an indefinite suspension of all executions.
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New Death Penalty Process Would Keep Doctors Present
A revised death penalty protocol would have doctors monitor inmates for any sign of suffering.
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Easley Says Judge Made Right Call on Death Penalty
Gov. Mike Easley says a Superior Court judge was right to call on the Council of State to act in a conflict that has halted execution of prisoners.
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Lawmakers Ready to Jump Into Death-Penalty Debate
A decision by a Wake County judge Thursday to halt executions until state officials could figure out a way to carry out the death penalty without physicians caught the attention of state lawmakers.
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N.C. Executions on Hold, Await New Rules
A Wake County judge on Thursday halted two executions planned for the next week until state officials can devise a plan to carry out the death penalty without physicians.
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State Must Satisfy Judge to Keep Executions on Schedule
A Wake County judge said Wednesday that he would block three scheduled executions if state officials cannot come up with a protocol for carrying out the death penalty without physicians.
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Attorneys Ask Courts to Block Execution on Friday
Attorneys for Marcus Robinson and another inmate say the state cannot guarantee deaths are painless.
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N.C. Medical Board Policy Could Affect State Executions
A North Carolina Medical Board committee took a step Wednesday toward approving a measure that could have an impact on capital punishment in the state.