U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel refused to grant a request by Governor...

U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel refused to grant a request by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's office for a broad order that could have shrouded in secrecy the process of developing California's new lethal injection procedure.
The Schwarzenegger administration filed a motion last month seeking to keep its formulation of a new lethal injection procedure confidential.
"The review of the lethal injection procedure will require frank debate and candid consideration of policy alternatives,'' according to the motion.
This afternoon Fogel said it is important that the process of creating a new procedure be as open to the public as possible.
The governor's office has told Fogel that will propose a new lethal injection procedure by May 15 for his approval.
State officials have to develop a new lethal injection procedure after Fogel ruled in December that California's former procedure was an unconstitutional because of the possibility that condemned inmates would feel excruciating pain during the administration of the lethal three-drug combination used in the procedure.
In February 2006 Fogel effectively halted all executions in California because of concerns about the state's lethal injection procedure. Since then a total of 11 states have put a hold on lethal injection executions because of concerns about the Constitutionality of the procedure.