BOISE, Idaho — A federal judge issued a temporary injunction on Tuesday to prohibit Idaho from carrying out the death penalty until media access is increased in the room where preparation for lethal injection takes place.
A judge ruled that the Idaho Department of Corrections needs to upgrade the area where executions occur to ensure that the media can see and hear what happens both before and after an execution, as well as during the execution itself. The ruling was made by U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora Grasham.
The court heard oral arguments pertaining to the original lawsuit on April 8, which was brought forward by several media groups, including the Idaho Statesman, East Idaho News, and the Associated Press. The lawsuit was filed against Josh Tewalt, the director of the Idaho Department of Corrections.
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"While it is true that this case concerns Idaho's lethal injection execution procedures, it equally concerns the public's First Amendment right of access to the State's administration of the most severe penalty enforced by our state," Grasham wrote. "Plaintiffs here, as surrogates for the public at large, enjoy a qualified right of access to witness both audibly and visually, the entirety of an execution."
