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4 executions loom, but drug shortage is a concern
The U.S. Supreme Court recently refused to hear four Arizona capital cases, opening the door for a spate of executions in the coming months.
Appeals court will consider whether inmates’ case is a class action
A federal appellate court has agreed to decide whether Arizona’s 33,000 prisoners can be in a lawsuit alleging that prison healthcare and confinement conditions amount to cruel and unusual punishment.
High court rules in Arizona death row case
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on an Arizona case Tuesday and found that death-row prisoners don’t have to be mentally competent while their appeals are pending in federal court.
Corrections chief to allow witnesses to view execution procedure
Witnesses to the June 27 execution of Samuel Lopez will be allowed to watch as the executioner inserts intravenous lines that will carry the lethal drug to Lopez's body.
Judge: Public won’t get full look at execution process
The public and attorneys for condemned prisoners won’t be given a behind-the-scenes look at executions in Arizona, a U.S. District Court judge ruled today.
Court warns Arizona about execution protocol
A federal appeals court panel on Tuesday issued a strong warning to Arizona officials who have continuously violated and changed their own written protocol for executing state death-row inmates.
Arizona high court denies last-minute stay in execution scheduled Wednesday
The Arizona Supreme Court and a federal court on Monday refused to stop the scheduled execution of a death row inmate who is scheduled to die Wednesday.
Report slams Arizona private prisons
A citizen oversight committee says privately-run prisons in Arizona are not cost-effective and are more difficult to monitor than state prisons.
Condemned prisoners use separation of powers argument in appeal
Three prisoners took their case to the Arizona Court of Appeals Friday, arguing that the statute governing lethal injection violates the separation of powers doctrine because the Legislature delegated its authority over executions to the executive branch. They also argue that they aren’t left with any legal recourse if the Department of Corrections changes its execution procedures.
Study: Arizona’s shrunken prison population is more violent
Arizona’s prison population is shrinking, but inmates are more violent, according to a study commissioned by the state’s prosecutors.
Judge: Arizona prison visitor fee constitutional
A one-time prison visitor fee that goes toward maintaining state-run lockups does not amount to a tax and is constitutional, a Maricopa County judge ruled in a lawsuit challenging the fee.
Death-row inmates sue state over execution procedures
Attorneys for a group of death-row inmates who went to trial this week in a federal lawsuit say the department didn’t interview or check the background and licensing of the doctor or a medical assistant, neither of whom were qualified under the department’s protocol or procedures for execution.
