Louisiana’s first execution using nitrogen gas is set to move forward as planned after a federal appeals court overturned a lower judge’s ruling Friday.

Louisiana's first execution using nitrogen gas is set to move forward next week after a federal appeals court vacated a preliminary injunction on Friday. Jessie Hoffman Jr, 46, is scheduled to be executed at the Louisiana State Penitentiary on March 18.

A New Orleans-area group decries the state’s efforts to use nitrogen gas to execute death row inmates because, members say, such a method echoes the Holocaust.