In brief: Tennessee judge upholds lethal injection

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Tennessee judge on Wednesday upheld the state’s lethal injection process for executing inmates.

Davidson County Chancery Judge Claudia Bonnyman said from the bench that the plaintiffs, 33 death row inmates, didn’t prove that the one-drug method led to a painful and lingering death. She also said the plaintiffs didn’t show during a lengthy trial that there have been problems in states where the method has been used.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Kelley Henry said they plan to appeal.

Tennessee’s protocol calls for the use of pentobarbital mixed to order by a pharmacist, because the only commercial producer of the drug has placed restrictions on its distribution to prevent it from being used in executions.

Tennessee has not executed an inmate for more than five years because of legal challenges and problems in obtaining lethal injection drugs.

Nebraska petition puts death penalty on ballot

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska’s death penalty won a last-minute reprieve Wednesday when a group fighting to keep the punishment announced it has collected more than enough signatures to stop its repeal and place the issue before voters in 2016.

Nebraskans for the Death Penalty, which was heavily financed by Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts and his family, said it had gathered 166,692 signatures from all 93 of the state’s counties. Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature voted in May to repeal capital punishment over the objection of Ricketts, becoming the first traditionally conservative state to do so in 42 years.

The pro-death penalty group needed roughly 57,000 valid signatures from registered voters to force a statewide referendum, and double that number to immediately halt the death penalty repeal that was set to go into effect Sunday. Organizers appear to have exceeded the 10 percent of registered voters hurdle needed to block the repeal until the November 2016 general election.

Planned Parenthood foes fight museum’s exhibit

WASHINGTON – Conservatives are opening a new offensive against Planned Parenthood.

They want a Washington, D.C., museum to remove its bust of the organization’s founder, Margaret Sanger. The National Portrait Gallery said it won’t do it.

Sanger was a pioneer of the birth-control movement. She also supported eugenics, a now-condemned effort to discourage reproduction by criminals and others with undesirable traits.

The chairman of the conservative group ForAmerica, Brent Bozell, and a group of black ministers say Sanger favored using eugenics to limit the population of blacks. That claim has been contested.

Portrait Gallery spokeswoman Bethany Bentley said Sanger’s bust will not be removed and that the museum displays portraits and paintings of important Americans, including some with objectionable qualities.

Global search starts for Obama library architect

CHICAGO – President Barack Obama’s foundation has started the process of choosing an architect to design his presidential library.

The foundation said Wednesday it has invited firms from around the world to submit their qualifications to design the Obama Presidential Center, which will be located in one of two sites on Chicago’s South Side.

The center will house Obama’s presidential archives and an interactive museum about his presidency.

The foundation said it also envisions that the center will include space for community gardening, sports, “healthy dining” and research.

Foundation Chairman Martin Nesbitt said the list of architects invited to submit qualifications was heavily weighted toward U.S. firms, particularly Chicago-based firms.

President Obama and the first lady will choose finalists later this year.

The center is expected to be finished in 2020 or 2021.