Under the state's new procedure, Hoffman will be strapped to a gurney and forced to breathe pure nitrogen gas through a full-face respirator mask. The protocol is nearly identical to that of Alabama, which became the first state to use nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution last year.

Chief District Judge Shelly Dick's ruling came a week before Jessie Hoffman was set to be executed by nitrogen gas at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

A federal judge blocked Louisiana’s first nitrogen gas execution, citing concerns over cruel and unusual punishment. The state immediately appealed, arguing the method has been upheld by the U.S.