Federal judge lifts default order on Mississippi

The Hattiesburg American, 5/19/8

A federal judge ruled that the attorney general’s office did not deliberately fail to respond to a lethal injection challenge filed by four death row inmates.

Attorney General Jim Hood had asked U.S. District Judge Allen Pepper to lift the default. Hood contended in court papers that his office erred but it was an honest mistake and did no harm to the inmates’ complaint.

The inmates’ lawsuit alleges Mississippi’s current lethal injection procedure causes unnecessary pain and that employees administering the drugs are not properly trained.