JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by
four Mississippi death row inmates who claimed the state's method
of lethal injection is unconstitutional because it could cause
pain.
The inmates, including one scheduled to die next week, wanted
U.S. District Judge W. Allen Pepper to issue an injunction that
would block any executions in the state.
Pepper on Tuesday, however, dismissed the lawsuit on several
grounds, including statute of limitations arguments.
Attorney General Jim Hood says the ruling clears the way for Dale Leo Bishop's execution, scheduled for July 23. Bishop's attorneys filed a motion Monday labeled "urgent and necessitous," urging the judge to halt executions.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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