Georgia court upholds law concealing execution drug sources

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Georgia court upholds law concealing execution drug sources

BY DAVID BEASLEY
ATLANTA Mon May 19, 2014 2:35pm EDT

(Reuters) - Georgia's law shielding the identity and methods of companies that make its lethal injection drugs is constitutional and should not prevent death row inmate Warren Lee Hill from being executed, the state's Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

Justices in a 5-2 vote lifted the stay of execution granted to Hill by a lower court after he challenged the 2013 law permitting the source of lethal injection drugs to be concealed from the public, attorneys and judges in court proceedings.

In upholding the state law, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that, without confidentiality, there was "a significant risk that persons and entities necessary to the execution would become unwilling to participate."

The dissenting justices said they worried the secrecy could lead to more botched executions similar to what happened last month in Oklahoma, which also does not disclose its drug sources.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/19/us-usa-georgia-execution-idUSBREA4I0K220140519

[Renew Deal]

1. Their names will be known

And I don't think it will take very long.

[Orrex]

2. Couldn't they simply inject bleach purchased from the local grocery store?

Under this secrecy-uber-alles ruling, why wouldn't the executioners use whatever chemical that they can get their hands on? How might someone find out?

[badtoworse]

3. What's wrong with Old Sparky?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

4. No S41t?

In upholding the state law, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that, without confidentiality, there was "a significant risk that persons and entities necessary to the execution would become unwilling to participate."

Here's a hint - when people want to hide their involvement in something, it's probably because they realize it's something they shouldn't be involved in, and they don't want to deal with the backlash from other people reacting to their involvement. In the case of businesses, losing customers who don't want to be associated with people who treat their workers poorly, or in this case, supply drugs to kill people.