A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for next month in a lawsuit filed by two news organizations that want to stop Oklahoma from using a new execution protocol that reduces the number of media witnesses.
U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton has scheduled a Dec. 4 hearing to consider the request for a preliminary injunction filed by The Oklahoma Observer and The Guardian US newspapers.
They argue Oklahoma prison officials violated the First Amendment when they lowered the blinds and prevented reporters from witnessing the April 29 execution of Clayton Lockett. The lawsuit argues that members of the media should be able to witness an execution from start to finish.
New Department of Corrections protocols reduce the number of media witnesses from 12 to five, among other changes.
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