Judge Russell T. Perkins of Davidson County issued the ruling Friday, approving the plaintiffs' motion to supplement their complaint under Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 15.04. The amended filing adds details about the attempted executions of Pike and Carruthers, as well as arguments concerning the repeal of a state law cited in the litigation.

The decision does not resolve whether Tennessee's execution protocol is constitutional. Perkins also declined to decide whether the original complaint properly stated a claim under federal civil rights law, noting that other issues raised in the arguments were not before him.

The lawsuit challenges the state's lethal injection procedures. State attorneys had argued that the plaintiffs could not use a supplemental complaint to introduce a cause of action that already existed when the case began. Attorneys for the inmates countered that the rule allows later events to be added and that the state had treated the case as involving a federal civil rights claim.

Perkins said the plaintiffs had chosen to proceed under the supplementation rule, described the state's opposition as "thoughtful," and directed the parties to work out a revised schedule that would give the state time to respond to the new filing.

The allegations center on the execution preparations for Pike and Carruthers, two death row inmates whose cases have drawn attention over concerns about the state's ability to carry out lethal injections. The supplemental complaint is expected to detail what the plaintiffs describe as failures during those preparations.

The ruling keeps the litigation moving forward as Tennessee continues to defend its execution methods in court. The case remains pending before Perkins, with a new scheduling order expected to set the timeline for the state's response.