The federal district court ruling in Hoffman v. Jindal is available in Adobe .pdf format, via NOLA.com.
"Louisiana judge orders state release information on lethal injection drugs," is by Lauren McGaughy for the New OrleansTimes-Picayune.
Louisiana corrections officials must reveal the manufacturer and source of the state's lethal injection drugs within the week, a federal judge ordered Wednesday (March 5).
U.S. District Judge James J. Brady also ordered the names of the staff and healthcare professionals involved in executions must be released. But this can be done under seal to protect their identities, Brady's ruling added.
The ruling was the latest development in a legal fight dating to 2012 between two death row inmates and the state over its execution policy. The suit, brought by convicted killers Jessie Hoffman and Christopher Sepulvado, was filed in December 2012 with the ultimate purpose of unsealing documents pertaining to the nature and place of origin of the state's lethal injection drugs as well as who has control over their management.
The lawsuit resulted in the state releasing its execution protocol in June 2013. But Hoffman's lawyer Michael Rubenstein called the information "inadequate" because it did not include the names of the manufacturer or the prison personnel handling the drugs.
"La. ordered to disclose source of execution drugs," is AP coverage by Melinda Deslatte, via the San Francisco Chronicle.
"The mere potentiality of harassment and adverse consequences is insufficient to overcome the Plaintiffs' need to adequately present their case," the judge wrote in his decision.
Brady ordered most of the responses filed without shielding, but he agreed to let the corrections department file information about the health care workers who will be performing the execution under seal, hidden from the public.
"While the Court finds that this identifying information is relevant and pertinent to the Plaintiffs' claims, the Court also deems it prudent to protect the privacy of the individuals who will be directly and personally involved in the process of carrying out the execution," Brady wrote.
The state's request for a protective order to keep the execution drug information hidden was made in the back-and-forth of an ongoing federal lawsuit filed by attorneys representing two men on death row.
The lawsuit seeks more details about Louisiana's execution method, to determine whether it violates a condemned inmate's constitutional right against cruel and unusual punishment.
Earlier coverage from Louisiana begins at the link.
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