Ohio Faces Hurdle to Resume Executions, DeWine Says

Governor cites need for 'shield law' to prevent drug companies from knowing their products were used in lethal injections.

Jan. 30, 2026 at 3:07pm

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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says the state would need to pass a 'shield law' to prevent pharmaceutical companies from discovering that their drugs were used in lethal injections before Ohio could resume executions. Until that happens, DeWine says executions will continue to be effectively halted in the state.

Why it matters

Ohio has had an unofficial moratorium on executions since DeWine took office in 2019, as he has consistently postponed upcoming executions due to concerns that drug manufacturers would stop selling drugs to the state if they found their products were being used for lethal injections. This issue highlights a key hurdle DeWine's successors as governor would likely have to overcome if they want to end Ohio's death-penalty moratorium.

The details

DeWine says Ohio law no longer allows state officials to conceal the identities of companies and individuals who provide drugs used in lethal injections. He says at least 18 other states have passed 'shield laws' to protect the identities of execution-drug suppliers from public harassment and a decline in business. DeWine says this is the main argument for such laws, not that drug companies should be kept out of the loop about what their products are being used for.

  • In late 2014, Ohio lawmakers passed a 'shield law' at DeWine's urging, then the state attorney general, in hopes of encouraging small-scale compounding pharmacies to sell the state execution drugs.
  • However, the law's secrecy provisions expired in 2017.

The players

Mike DeWine

The Republican governor of Ohio who has consistently postponed upcoming executions due to concerns that drug manufacturers would stop selling drugs to the state if they found their products were being used for lethal injections.

Dan Tierney

A spokesman for Gov. DeWine.

Vivek Ramaswamy

The frontrunner for the 2023 Republican nomination for Ohio governor, who has said he supports capital punishment when appropriate but is not looking to change Ohio's death-penalty laws.

Amy Acton

The presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee and a former state health director under DeWine, who has said she would continue DeWine's moratorium on executions until the state legislature can agree on a bipartisan solution.

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What they’re saying

“We do not effectively have the ability to move forward with the carrying out of executions in the state of Ohio today.”

— Mike DeWine, Governor (The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com)

“Why are other states doing this, acquiring them (lethal-injection drugs), and not Ohio? The answer is, those states have shield laws that essentially makes that information not public record, not accessible to the media, not accessible to the pharmaceutical company (providing the drugs).”

— Dan Tierney, Spokesman for Gov. DeWine (The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com)

What’s next

The need for a 'shield law' will be moot during the final 11 months of DeWine's term as governor, as he has previously said that no executions will be staged before he leaves office next January. However, it might become an issue if a future Ohio governor decides to end DeWine's death-penalty moratorium.

The takeaway

This case highlights the complex legal and political hurdles Ohio faces in resuming executions, even if a future governor wants to end the state's de facto moratorium on the death penalty. The need for a 'shield law' to protect the identities of execution-drug suppliers is a key obstacle that the legislature would have to address.