By RussWilcox [
From Sea to Shining Sea]
Published February 15, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA -- A judge ruled Tuesday that California must change its injection method for an execution next week, saying the current drug mix may constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel said that inmates may be conscious and undergoing extreme pain during execution.
The lethal injection method involves a sedative, a paralyzing agent and then a heart-stopping drug. Fogel ordered the state to either have an expert present to ensure Michael Morales is unconscious from the sedative, or replace a three-drug mix with a lethal dose of barbiturate.
Chicago Tribune
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