U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. has denied a request to block the execution of Carey Dale Grayson, scheduled for November 21, making it the third execution by nitrogen gas in Alabama. Grayson, convicted of murder in 1994, argued that the nitrogen hypoxia protocol constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, but the judge deemed his evidence speculative and insufficient. The execution method involves replacing breathable air with nitrogen gas, leading to death by oxygen deprivation. Previous nitrogen gas executions in Alabama raised concerns, as media witnesses reported that inmates exhibited distressing physical reactions. Grayson's legal team plans to appeal the decision, while Alabama continues to be the only state using this method of execution. If carried out, Grayson would be the state's sixth execution in 2024, the highest number of any state this year.