A federal judge has ruled that a group of death-row inmates in Oklahoma has fallen “well short” of proving that the state's lethal injection protocols violate their constitutional rights, opening the door for the state to resume executions. This ruling came even though autopsies of the four men executed by Oklahoma between October 2021 and February 2022 had shown that all four prisoners had excess fluid in their lungs, giving additional credence to death-row prisoners’ claims that Oklahoma’s lethal-injection process will subject them to an unconstitutionally torturous death.
And today in Arizona Frank Atwood is scheduled to be lifted from his wheelchair to be executed despite compelling evidence of innocence. We discussed whether it is time to stop talking about constitutional rights when there seems to be little agreement as to what these actually are or why they can be more important than plain common sense and actual facts.
Turning to a more positive topic we decided that it was important to bring our newer Board members up to date on our Advisory Board. Many on our Advisory Board have been with us for years while others are more recent additions. Everyone on the Advisory Board contributes in her/his unique way. We are honored and grateful for all they do and hope that they know that. We will never take their presence for granted.
In closing and as always, we continue to thank all our generous donors who either gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button or who gave directly. Thank you also to all who took the time to read our notes, commented, liked and shared them on Facebook. You encourage us and make all the difference. Stay safe!
Esther