RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – A controversial tough-on-crime bill in North Carolina could face an uphill battle despite getting the governor’s seal of approval.

House Bill 307, also referred to as Iryna's Law, calls for using the firing squad or electric chair as execution methods for the death penalty if lethal injection isn’t available. North Carolina has been in a moratorium for nearly two decades, partly because of lawsuits around the drug used in lethal injections.

If a death row inmate’s case moves forward under the law, political experts say a lawsuit would be likely.

“It’s going to face a tough road going forward,” David McLennan with Meredith College said of the law, which was named after a Ukrainian woman stabbed and killed on a Charlotte train last month. “I think there are going to

See Full Page