Sotomayor says Florida shrouds executions in secrecy

Maureen Groppe, USA TODAYTue, February 24, 2026 at 8:42 PM UTC

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WASHINGTON − Justice Sonia Sotomayor called Florida’s record on lethal injections “deeply troubling,” even as she joined the Supreme Court’s Feb. 24 decision clearing the way for the state’s latest execution.

Sotomayor, the court's most senior liberal justice, said she voted to deny Melvin Trotter’s application for a stay of execution because the convicted murderer lacked sufficient evidence to show Florida is using expired drugs, which could cause unnecessary pain and suffering.

But Sotomayor said the record reflects at least the possibility that recent executions in the states have involved expired drugs and other drugs that shouldn’t be used, incorrect drug doses and recordkeeping lapses that could be hiding other problems.

More: Florida to execute killer 40 years after savage murder of elderly grocer

Yet the Florida Supreme Court, she said, hasn’t allowed death row inmates access to documents that might prove such charges.

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“By continuing to shroud its executions in secrecy, Florida undermines both the integrity of its own execution process and, potentially, this Court’s ability to ensure the State’s compliance with its constitutional obligations,” she wrote.

More: Supreme Court liberals condemn 'intense psychological torment' of execution by nitrogen gas

Melvin Trotter is pictured.

Trotter is scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. ET on Feb. 24 for fatally stabbing 70-year-old Virgie Langford in the corner grocery store she ran for 50 years. Trotter, 65, has been on death row for nearly 40 years for the killing.

It will be Florida's third execution of the year, more than any other state. Last year, Florida set a state record by putting 19 inmates to death as Gov. Ron DeSantis has made the death penalty a recent priority. The previous state record had been eight executions.

Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justice Sotomayor said Florida may be using expired drugs in executions

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