Nevada inmate Scott Dozier was scheduled to be executed tonight. Last week, a Clark County Judge put a stop to it.

But it's only a temporary reprieve. The execution was put on hold Thursday after Clark County District Court Judge Jennifer P. Togliatti enjoined the Nevada Department of Corrections from administering a paralytic as the final drug in its experimental execution protocol. The Nevada Attorney General’s Office requested a stay of execution in order to seek review of this order by the Nevada Supreme Court.

We're grateful the judge agreed with us about the risks posed by the paralytic, but we can't stop fighting. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada on Monday sent a petition urging Gov. Brian Sandoval to call off the execution. More than 615 Nevadans signed on to condemn the proposed use of an experimental drug combination.

The ACLU of Nevada also called on Governor Sandoval in a letter to keep the state’s de facto moratorium on executions in place, pointing out that the United States is the only advanced Western democracy today that does not view capital punishment as a profound human rights violation and a frightening abuse of government power.

Capital punishment is inconsistent with the underlying values of our democratic system, namely the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. With this letter and our petition, the ACLU of Nevada notified Governor Sandoval that the state’s proposed execution violates the Constitution, and that Nevadans across the state will continue to speak out against the inhumane practice of executions.

The ACLU of Nevada’s letter and the petition sent to Sandoval can be found here: PDF icon 17_11-13 Execution Petition-privacy version.pdf

The names and zip codes of those who signed the petition have been withheld in the interest of signatory privacy.