USA - Nebraska. Ernie Chambers asks Nebraska Supreme Court to sanction attorney general over lethal injection drugs.

Ernie Chambers asks Nebraska Supreme Court to sanction attorney general over lethal injection drugs. Sen. Ernie Chambers wants the Nebraska Supreme Court to sanction the attorney general over the state's efforts to import a disputed lethal injection drug. The state's most outspoken death penalty opponent filed a formal grievance Thursday against Attorney General Doug Peterson with the Counsel for Discipline of the Nebraska Supreme Court. The 17-page complaint contends that Peterson has guided state Corrections officials to press ahead with obtaining foreign-made sodium thiopental, an anesthetic that is prohibited for importation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has said the ban on the lethal injection drug adheres to a 2013 federal appeals court decision in Washington, D.C. "He is advising the state to engage in conduct which has, as its ultimate end, an illegal act," the Omaha senator said Thursday. Peterson declined to comment through his spokeswoman. In the past, the attorney general has said the 2013 ruling doesn't apply to Nebraska because the state was not a party to the case and the FDA’s interpretation goes beyond the court's ruling. Chambers' grievance alleges that Peterson violated the rules of professional conduct for lawyers by providing incompetent legal representation to the Department of Correctional Services. The complaint says that the attorney general's disregard for the FDA's position "brings the law into disrepute." "The greatest of ironies in all of this lies in the fact that ... the State of Nebraska's chief lawman advises officials to disregard federal law based on political motives," Chambers stated in his grievance. The Counsel for Discipline will review the grievance to determine whether it has merit. The office could either dismiss the grievance or file charges that could result in actions ranging from a reprimand to disbarment. In May, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced that Corrections had spent $54,400 for 2 lethal injection drugs to replace substances in the state's inventory that had expired. A couple of weeks later, an FDA spokesman announced that it would be illegal to import the drug. In the months since, the governor has repeatedly said Corrections officials remain in discussions with the Drug Enforcement Administration to receive shipments of sodium thiopental and another drug called pancuronium bromide. The drugs are 2 of the 3 substances needed to carry out an execution in Nebraska. Emails over the summer from officials with both the FDA and the DEA say that the drug can't be imported and will not be allowed in. Chambers championed the Legislature's repeal of the death penalty this year. But capital punishment supporters put the repeal on hold with a successful referendum petition drive. Nebraska voters will decide the issue next November. Over the years, Chambers has filed multiple formal complaints against judges and attorneys. Some have resulted in discipline, while others have been dismissed.