Court rules Indiana can't use current lethal injection drugs

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - An Indiana appeals court has ruled that the state can't execute prisoners with the current lethal injection drugs it uses.

The Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/2qO293o ) reports that the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the state didn't follow proper procedures when it chose the drugs.

The decision means the state can't execute anyone until it either appeals the decision to the Indiana Supreme Court or holds public hearings. The court ruling also requires public officials to seek input from the governor's office and state attorney general before changing lethal injection drugs.

In 2014, the Indiana Department of Corrections unilaterally chose a three-drug process that hadn't before been used for an execution in the country.

The decision comes at a time when there've been multiple botched executions in the past several years across the country.

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com