The New York Times

Friday, Friday, February 25, 2000

Electric Chair Challenged in Georgia

By The Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) -- The Georgia Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to the use of the electric chair for capital punishment.

The court voted 4-3 without comment Thursday to consider the appeal of Troy Anthony Davis, who was sentenced to die for the 1989 shooting death of a Savannah police officer.

No date was set to hear the case, in which the justices will consider whether electrocution constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

The high court's decision comes three days after the state House voted to change the state's method of execution to injection. The bill is being debated in the Senate.

Only Georgia, Alabama and Nebraska use the electric chair. Thirty-four states carry out executions by injection.

Last month, Florida changed its method of execution from electrocution to injection after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal that said the chair represents cruel and usual punishment.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined to hear a similar appeal of an Alabama death row inmate who also claimed electroocution was unconstitutional.