USA - Idaho. Richard Leavitt, 53, white, was executed

Richard Leavitt, 53, white, was executed. Today's lethal injection was unprecedented in the state due to the expanded access granted to media and other state witnesses in the wake of a federal lawsuit. The Associated Press and 16 other news groups sued last month, arguing that Idaho Department of Correction policy barring witnesses from viewing a lethal injection last November in its entirety violated the First Amendment and the public's right to know. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, ordering Idaho prison officials to open the curtain immediately after Leavitt entered the execution chamber, enabling witnesses to oversee as executioners insert IV catheters into Leavitt's body. Brent Reinke, Idaho's prison chief, said the agency and its execution team made adjustments to comply with the federal court order. He said execution team members will wear headgear and other garb designed to protect their identities. The team also held two rehearsals in recent days to adjust to policy changes sought by the news groups. "We have taken what we believe are the necessary steps to protect the identity of our team, especially our medical team," Reinke told reporters early Tuesday. "But from the time we begin this process, the blinds will be open so the media will see everything that happens." Leavitt was sentenced to death in 1985 for the July 18, 1985, murder of 31-year-old Danette Elg. About 29 people gathered outside the prison to protest the execution. Leavitt becomes the 1st condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Idaho, the 3rd overall since the state resumed capital punishment in 1994,  the 20th to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1297th overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977.