With executions on pause in the state since 2008, Coleman has been pushing to revive capital punishment, arguing the longer death row cases are delayed, the less faith residents have in the judicial system.
"We're talking about decades and decades and decades. What concerns me as the state's chief law enforcement officer is that we know when there is not swift and certain justice, we know that we see the rule of law eroding," Coleman said. "And when you have a system where there is not real punishment with the most heinous offenders, then the rule of law becomes shaky."
But on Thursday, the high court ruled unanimously that the case brought by death row inmates can proceed.
While the state's top law enforcement official believes the state's existing death row regulations do meet constitutional muster, the lawsuit questions whether Kentucky's execution protocols meet the standard against "cruel and unusual punishment," and provide sufficient guardrails when it comes to inmates with intellectual disabilities. The litigation also raises concerns about lethal injection drugs and their administration.
Backers of the suit say they want to ensure that executions, should they resume, are constitutional.
The challenges to existing execution policies have narrowed, however. In a recent ruling, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shephard dismissed five challenges but allowed four to proceed.