Calif. Judge Tosses New Lethal Injection Plan

By Jeralyn, Section Death Penalty
Posted on Thu Nov 01, 2007 at 06:44:00 AM EST
Tags: lethal injection (all tags)

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Another blow for the death penalty in California yesterday:

California's stalled death penalty plunged deeper into disarray Wednesday when a judge tossed out the state's new lethal injection method. The judge's ruling added to the growing uncertainty over the status of capital punishment in the state.

Marin County Judge Lynn O'Malley Taylor invalidated the state's new procedure because state prison officials failed to treat the new execution method as a new state regulation, which mandates public comment among other requirements.

There are 667 persons on Death Row in California. Executions have been on hold since January, 2006 when federal judge Stanley Vogel ruled California could not use licensed medical professionals to carry out the execution.

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Prison officials said they could not comply with U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel's order that licensed medical professionals assist with the execution.

Fogel said in December he would declare the state's lethal injection process unconstitutional unless prison officials improved the procedure with better trained staff and improved conditions in the death chamber.

The State argued that conditions were improved: the death chamber is now bigger in size and better lit.

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Calif. Judge Tosses New Lethal Injection Plan | 2 comments (2 topical)

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But just wait (none / 0) (#1)
by Saul on Thu Nov 01, 2007 at 07:55:07 AM EST

the states that do have capital punishment are going to find a way to execute that will satisfy the courts. I just wished that they would not execute period. The death penalty does not deter crime. If it did crime, especially murder would be non existant and it looks that through out the years it has not played a significat role at all in detering crime. If I am not mistaken 12 states and the District of Colombia do not have capital punishment. How many countries besides us approve of capital punishment? Any body know? I know Mexico and Canada don't have it. I think we are pretty much in the minority on this issue.

: Currently, 64 countries (none / 0) (#2)
by Angrybat on Thu Nov 01, 2007 at 10:51:25 AM EST

Have the death penalty. China is far and away the leader in executions, with several thousand a year. Other countries with the death penalty include Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Sudan. Japan, too, which surprised me, for some reason.