Trial opens in case seeking details on executions in Arizona
Source: Associated Press
Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press
Updated 3:45 pm, Tuesday, July 25, 2017
PHOENIX (AP) — A civil trial began Tuesday over whether Arizona must reveal the source of its execution drugs, with an attorney for news organizations saying the public needs those details to determine whether the state is effective in carrying out the death penalty.
"We don't know if it's operating properly," attorney David Schulz said during his opening statement at the trial in Phoenix.
Schulz also said state rules requires some members of the execution team to have a license to place IV lines, but the public doesn't know if those people have training to determine if a prisoner has been properly anesthetized and is feeling pain.
Lawyers for The Associated Press, Arizona Republic and other plaintiffs say they have a First Amendment right to know the source and potency of lethal injection drugs and the qualifications of the executioners.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Trial-opens-in-case-seeking-details-on-executions-11392926.php