State will seek execution of Cal Coburn Brown
In March, the Washington Supreme Court issued an 11th hour stay in the scheduled execution of convicted murderer Cal Coburn Brown. Brown's case had been consolidated with another case before Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Wickham where inmates were challenging the constitutionality of Washington state's method of lethal injection.
Today Judge Wickham affirmed the state's practice. With this ruling, the Attorney General's Office says it will once again seek Brown's execution.
It is possible, however, that the Supreme Court will not lift the stay of execution until Judge Wickham's order comes up on appeal, giving the Supreme Court an opportunity to review the constitutionality of lethal injection.
Click here for more information about capital punishment in Washington state.
How many appeals do convicts get to go through before their sentence is carried out? Lethal Injection has been around for a while; is this the first time a convict has challenged its constitutionality?