Attorney Gen. Curtis Hill Praises Lethal Injection Case Decision

Officials say Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is praising an Indiana Supreme Court decision that helps clear the way for the execution of a convicted rapist and murderer. According to a release, the court ruled that the Indiana Department of Correction (DOC) operated within appropriate legal boundaries when it changed its lethal injection protocol without adopting or announcing the change under Indiana's Administrative Rules and Procedures Act (ARPA).

This centers on when a Death Row inmate convicted of rape and murder argued that his rights were violated when the DOC altered a three-drug combination used for executions without following ARPA procedures for a rule change, officials report.

According to a release, the Court accepted the state DOC’s argument that the protocol change amounted to internal DOC policy exempt from ARPA’s requirements, adding that the DOC didn't impose new burdens or restrictions on the inmate's conduct.

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“The challenge mounted against the DOC in this case was merely an effort to impede the wheels of justice,” Attorney General Hill said, in a release sent to Patch. “Thanks to the Court’s wisdom, however, the path is now clear once again toward a destination that is right and proper for those dangerous lawbreakers who commit society’s most heinous crimes.”

More: in.gov/attorneygeneral/

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