LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – The Arkansas Supreme Court says it won’t allow a judge who demonstrated against the death penalty the same day he blocked the state from using a lethal injection drug to resume hearing execution cases.
The court on Thursday rejected the request by Pulaski County Circuit Judge
Wendell Griffen, whom the court disqualified from hearing execution cases in 2017 following the demonstration outside the governor’s mansion. Griffen in June asked the court to allow him to hear death penalty cases again.
Justices said they rejected the request because the judge didn’t file it
within 18 days of the court’s decision.
The ruling came two days after Attorney General Leslie Rutledge asked justices to reassign any civil cases handled by her office from Griffen’s court. Rutledge accused Griffen of being biased against her staff. Griffen has denied those claims.
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