The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday postponed the execution of Thomas Douglas Arthur until further action of the court.
Earlier in the week the court had reversed a judge's decision to dismiss Arthur's appeal, which contended that Alabama's decision to use a new sedative called pentobarbital as part of a three-drug execution combination could be cruel and unusual punishment.
Arthur's attorneys on Thursday had sought a stay while the state asks the entire 11th Circuit to reconsider the court's decision.
Arthur was set to be executed on March 29 for the 1982 murder-for-hire killing of Muscle Shoals businessman Troy Wicker.
