LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Kentucky's pause on executions will remain in place after a judge allowed part of a long-running death penalty lawsuit to continue.
Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd dismissed several claims brought by death row inmate Ralph Baze but allowed four constitutional claims to move forward, according to reporting from the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Baze was sentenced to death for the 1992 killings of a sheriff and a deputy. He filed the lawsuit in 2006, challenging the state's methods for carrying out executions.
Other Kentucky death row inmates later challenged the state's execution protocol, leading to an injunction that has kept executions on hold.
Kentucky hasn't carried out an execution since 2008.
The ruling comes as Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman continues pushing to resume executions. Coleman filed a motion in July asking the court to lift the order, arguing the state's execution protocols have been updated and the long-running case should be resolved.
The four remaining constitutional claims are expected to eventually go to trial, while Kentucky's execution pause remains in place.
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