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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

9th Circuit asks if Idaho can make execution access changes in time for June 12 execution

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) ― A federal appeals court in California has asked Idaho prosecutors to inquire whether a prison warden would allow full viewing access to an upcoming execution in a case filed by The Associated Press and 16 other news organizations. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Thursday in a lawsuit that seeks to strike a portion of Idaho's regulations preventing witnesses from watching executions until after catheters have been inserted into the veins of death row inmates. Idaho Deputy Attorney General Michael Gilmore says he will try to reach the warden to see if a policy change could be made in time for next week's execution of Richard Leavitt, who was convicted of a 1984 murder. The three-judge panel noted it has already ruled in a California case that every aspect of an execution should be open to witnesses.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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