Attorneys for two news organizations suing Oklahoma prison officials for preventing reporters from viewing portions of an execution that went awry in the spring are asking a federal judge to stop new state execution protocols from going into effect.
Attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union filed a motion Tuesday in federal court asking a judge to order prison officials to give the media more access to witness an execution.
The plaintiffs in the case include The Oklahoma Observer and 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.
New protocols developed by the Department of Corrections reduce the number of media witnesses from 12 to five.
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