Ohio Death Penalty Moratorium

  NPR this morning is reporting U.S. Southern Ohio District Judge Gregory Frost's ordering  a 2-1/2 month moratorium following the troubled execution of Dennis McGuire in January. McGuire was the first person ever to be put to death with a combination of the sedative midazolam and the painkiller hydromorphone.

 “In light of the need for discovery and necessary preparations related to the adoption and implementation of the new execution protocol that became effective April 28, 2014,” Judge Frost wrote, “it is ORDERED, ADJUDGED, and DECREED that the State of Ohio, and any person acting on its behalf, is hereby STAYED from implementing an order for the execution of any Ohio inmate issued by any court of the State of Ohio until August 15, 2014, or until further Order from the Court…. The parties shall work together to coordinate efforts so that the Court can set necessary deadlines following expiration of the stay.”

The Columbus Dispatch, Christian Science Monitor and Reuters also had articles.