Kavanaugh, Justices Question Lethal Injection of Missouri Man

New Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the Supreme Court’s liberal wing in questioning whether states can use their standard execution methods to kill people whose unique medical issues leave them at risk of severe pain.

Hearing arguments in Washington on the Nov. 6 Election Day, the justices weighed the fate of Russell Bucklew, a Missouri inmate who says his rare medical condition means he would probably choke on his own blood if given a lethal injection. Bucklew suffers from cavernous hemangioma, a disease that has caused blood-filled tumors in his head, neck and throat.

“Are you saying even if the method ...