Idaho judge: Lethal injection drug source is secret for now

An Idaho judge now says state prison officials can hold off on identifying where they obtain the drugs used in executions until a trial is held on the matter.

Fourth District Judge Lynn Norton ruled in May that the state had to turn over nearly all of its execution records, including those identifying the source of the execution drugs, to a University of Idaho professor who sued for access to the documents under the Idaho Public Records Act.

But on Monday, Norton modified her decision, saying that the state could redact any information that would identify the source of the lethal drugs for now.

State prison officials have argued that releasing the name of the drug supplier would subject that entity to such intense public pressure that the state would be unable to obtain the drugs in the future.