Judge To Tour California's New Death Chamber In Feb
SAN QUENTIN (AP) - The federal judge who halted lethal injections in California over concerns that it was cruel and unusual punishment plans to tour the state's new death chamber in February.
U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel on Wednesday told attorneys representing death row inmates and the state Attorney General's office that he wants to hold a hearing at San Quentin State Prison sometime between Feb. 2-9. Fogel is determining whether California's revised lethal injection procedure is constitutional.
Fogel wants to view firsthand the improvements the prison officials made to the death chamber after he found the old one to be too small, dark and outdated to properly carry out lethal injections.
Executions have been suspended since 2006, when Fogel ruled in a lawsuit by several death row inmates.
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