18 April 2017 :

The 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker’s decision to halt the executions over the use of midazolam. Arkansas had scheduled the executions to occur before the state's supply of midazolam expires at the end of April. U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker halted the executions over the use of the drug, which has been used in flawed executions in other states, and over the inmates' access to attorneys on the day of the executions. The back-and-forth with the courts came as the state seeks to execute eight prisoners before its supply of the sedative midazolam expires at the end of the month. If court proceedings are pushed into May, Arkansas won’t be able to carry out the executions with the drugs it has on hand. It’s unclear whether the state may face additional challenges over its execution drugs. McKesson, the supplier that sued Arkansas to try and block the use of the vecuronium bromide, asked to drop its case after Baker’s order but has left open the possibility it may refile its lawsuit if executions move forward.