LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen ruled on Thursday that Arkansas’ death penalty drug secrecy law violates the state constitution.
A group of inmates filed a lawsuit against the state challenging the 2015 death penalty law and a clause that allows Arkansas to keep the drugs used in its lethal injection process a secret.
Wendell’s ruling states that the provision making the drugs secret violates the state constitution and declared it null and void immediately, according to court documents.
He also ruled that Arkansas must provide the inmates with lethal injection drug information by 12 p.m. on Friday.
The state had argued it needed to keep lethal injection drug information secret because if drug sources were revealed, it would make it difficult to purchase the execution drugs.
Companies that produce drugs used in lethal injections don’t want their products used for executions.
[“source-arkansasmatters”]