Early release of Baze audiotape
on Dec 20, 2007 at 11:55 am
The Supreme Court announced Thursday that it will promptly release the audiotape of the oral argument on Monday, Jan. 7, in Baze v. Rees (07-5439) — the Kentucky case testing the constitutionality of the three-drug protocol for execution by lethal injection. The case also involves the question of a constitutional standard for judging the validity of such a protocol.
The argument is scheduled for 10 a.m., the first case to be heard in the January sitting. “The audio recording will be released shortly after the conclusion of the argument,” according to the Court’s press release. That would mean somewhere soon after 11 a.m. The argument is scheduled for one hour, and, because a second case will be argued that morning, the Baze hearing should not run much beyond 11.
The Court said the audio recording would be available to the public through the National Archives, and referred inquiries on that access to Charles DeArman of the National Archives at telephone 301-837-1649 or Mark Meader at 301-837-1970.
Press inquiries about the audiotape should be directed to the Court’s public information office, 202-479-3211.
