Ohio tried to execute Romell Broom once already — if you’ll recall, that was a physical horror and a procedural fiasco. 

For more, read our earlier posts on the Broom execution and its appeals through the Ohio state criminal justice system.

Now, the Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that allowing the State of Ohio a "re-do" with the opportunity to execute Mr. Broom a second time is acceptable — it is not "cruel and unusual punishment’ as that is defined by the U.S. Constitution.

Read the Ohio Supreme Court March 2016 Opinion here (slip opinion). 

What happens next for Ohio Death Row Inmate Romell Broom?

Well, the actual execution will not be happening anytime soon.  All of Ohio’s executions are on hold until next year (2017) because they cannot find the drugs needed for their lethal injection method of execution.

And, Mr. Broom’s lawyers still have some tools to use.  Look for this case to be filed in the federal system, with a goal of having the United States Supreme Court on whether or not the Ohio Supreme Court’s take on "cruel and unusual" is correct.

And that brings up another question: what’s the stance of the new SCOTUS nominee on capital punishment?  Good question.