No Constitutional Right to Witness Executions, Judge Rules
· Story link A federal judge ruled that Arkansas does not have to allow public access to all stages of…
A federal judge ruled that Arkansas does not have to allow public access to all stages of the execution process, rejecting a suit brought by the Arkansas Times. U. S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright said that the Constitution does not guarantee the public the right to witness an execution and that the state’s procedure of allowing witnesses to the final stage of the lethal injection process meets requirements of state law. (1/9/08)