Politics

Attorneys: Not so fast lifting stay

By Times Staff Writer
Published September 12, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - Attorneys for a Death Row inmate asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to send a case back to a lower court because a judge discussed the case with the St. Petersburg Times.

Circuit Judge Carven Angel of Ocala told the newspaper Monday night that the Department of Corrections addressed his concerns about its lethal injection protocols. In July, Angel cited those concerns, including qualifications of the executioner, in issuing a stay of execution for Ian Deco Lightbourne.

But while Angel said in a telephone conversation that the concerns were satisfied, his order on Monday that lifted the stay does not spell out how, Lightbourne's attorneys argued in a motion to Tuesday.

They want the judge to explain his thinking.

Angel also told the newspaper that while he felt the concerns were addressed, they are "real, legitimate concerns" that can't be ignored.

[Last modified September 12, 2007, 00:02:11]