Six of the eight Arkansas inmates scheduled to die this month want a judge to delay their executions so they can seek a deeper review of their clemency requests.
A federal court hearing is scheduled Tuesday on the inmates' attempt to delay the executions. The state said in court papers filed Monday that a delay would effectively halt the executions because a key lethal drug expires April 30.
The inmates say the state Parole Board is obligated to provide a "significant and individualized" review of clemency requests, but that Arkansas' setting a "frantic pace" for executions prevents it from doing so.
Arkansas intends to execute eight prisoners in a 10-day period starting April 17.