lethal injection

Visit my blog to view a brief filed on behalf of five North Carolina death row inmates (Jerry Conner, James Campbell, Archie Billings, Marcus Robinson, and James Thomas).

As Mark Kleinschmidt wrote last night, the Council of state has a decision due this morning at 10:00am to Wake County Superior Court Judge, Don Stephens as to whether an alternative plan can be approved that will not require the presense of a doctor when the state kills citizens convicted of murder.

The governor already has a letter on his desk requesting a moratorium until it can be proven that the process our system uses to determine which citizens it will kill and which it will house for life is fair to everyone charged, prosecuted and convicted of murder.

Do we want a new plan to facilitate killing people without a licensed physician present or do we want a moratorium?

Here are the fax and phone numbers. Let's get on it people. Tie up those lines.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

(FP'd by SD - If you have a fax machine, let's get them humming.)

(X-Posted from Kleinschmidt2005)

Earlier today in Wake County Superior Court, Judge Don Stephens indicated that he was inclined to rule for the plaintiffs Marcus Robinson and James Thomas and stop executions in North Carolina unless the NC Council of State approves a procedure that does not require the participation of a doctor. Judge Stephens' ruling follows last week's unanimous decision of the NC Medical Board that bars doctor participation in executions. The Board's decision allows only for the mere presence of a doctor at an execution (as required by NC Gen Stat Sec.15-190) and forbids a doctor from intervening in the process any way. The board promises to discipline doctors who engage in and "verbal or physical activity, beyond the requirements of [the statute], that facilitates the execution..."

I have to admit, I am not clear why Judge Stephens believes the Council of State should have anything to do with this, but I find his actions intriguing. I wonder if they can get all these folks to approve it before Stephens makes his ruling at 10 am. But for what it's worth, there's a lot riding on the shoulders of these people tonight: