Louisiana federal appeals court pauses order reopening death penalty case

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A federal appeals court in New Orleans has paused a judge’s decision to reopen the execution protocol challenge for death row inmates.

On Monday, judges in the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling to enter a stay after the Middle District of Louisiana’s Feb. 21 ruling.

Attorney General Liz Murrill requested the ruling be overturned as she argues the district court made a mistake in granting the inmates’ motion.

The ruling would have allowed Jessie Hoffman and other included death row inmates to reopen the lawsuit against the state, which they argued the lethal injection death penalty was cruel and violated their rights.

The Court also granted a writ of mandamus, directing the Middle District to vacate its Feb. 21 ruling. Murrill is seeking an administrative stay to halt the lower court’s decision. Petitioners warn the plaintiffs may attempt to delay Hoffman’s March 18 execution date.

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