13 June 2017 :

Arizona publishes new lethal injection rules. The department published its most recent execution plan, known as a protocol. It yields to most of the demands set forth by attorneys from the Los Angeles office of the law firm Sidley Austin and the Federal Public Defender's Office in Phoenix. The latest protocol strips the Department of Corrections ability to make last-minute drug changes or discretionary decisions, such as closing curtains into the execution chamber if things go wrong. Eliminates a traditional three-drug combination that defense attorneys believe merely masks any sign of pain or distress. A new single-drug protocol takes its place. Removes a clause saying that defense attorneys may obtain their own drugs for their clients' executions if they pass quality standards. Execution drugs, for the most part, are controlled substances that are only available to persons or entities licensed to obtain them. Judge Neil Wake scheduled a September trial for the case, but whether it plays out or the case settles remains to be seen. All of the suit's demands appear to have been agreed upon, except for a matter of attorneys fees, which Wake ordered be paid to the defense attorneys. A hearing is set for June 12. (See also 28/10/2015, 24/06/2016). No executions can go forward in Arizona until the case is settled or adjudicated and the judge lifts his injunction. Meanwhile, a 2nd case pertaining to lethal injection is set for trial in late July before U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow. That case focuses on whether the state must be more transparent in revealing details about the execution drugs it obtains and the people who administer them.