Associated Press
CINCINNATI: A federal appeals court has rejected a challenge by three death row inmates of an Ohio law that shields the names of companies providing lethal injection drugs.
The inmates argue the law enacted in 2014 violates free speech rights. They contend, in part, that the measure restricts information that helps inform the public debate over capital punishment.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Wednesday to uphold a judge’s decision last year that the inmates’ challenge was not tied to “actual or imminent injuries.”
State attorneys argued that nothing in the law infringes on prisoners’ First Amendment rights or their ability to argue issues in court.
Ohio plans to carry out its first execution in three years in January with a new 3-drug method.