Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is proud that the state leads the country in a specific category — executions.

Marshall posted a screenshot on X of an article written by AL.com’s Ivana Hyrnkiw about Alabama leading the nation in executions in 2024.

In the post. Marshall said the mark was a team effort and was glad the victims received long awaited justice.

“This has been a team effort,” Marshall posted on X. “I would like to thank Commissioner John Hamm and @ALCorrections, as well as my dedicated group of capital litigators, for delivering long-awaited justice for each of these victims.”

In a report by the Death Penalty Information Center, the country’s death penalty watchdog, Alabama led the nation with six executions in 2024.

This is the first time the state led in capital punishment.

The individuals put to death included Kenneth Smith, Jamie Mills, Keith Gavin, Alan Miller, Derrick Dearman, and Carey Grayson.

Grayson, Miller and Smith were executed using nitrogen hypoxia. Mills, Gavin, and Dearman died by lethal injection.

Nitrogen hypoxia was never used as an execution method in the United States until Smith was put to death in January.

Advocates and experts expressed concern over each execution primarily Smith’s and Grayson’s as both struggled and writhed during the administration of the gas.

In November, ahead of Grayson’s execution, UN experts stated that the use of nitrogen hypoxia should be banned due to it likely constituting inhumane treatment or torture.

“We reiterate our call for an urgent ban on execution by nitrogen asphyxiation, which is clearly prohibited under international law,” the experts said.

Public support for the death penalty is currently at 53% according to the Death Penalty Information Center. That mark is a 50-year low according to the organization’s report.

However, despite the waning support nationwide, Marshall and other state leaders remain content on using the death penalty as a means to obtain justice for victims they argue.