Death Penalty and Corrections Oversight

A Davidson County Chancery Court judge has temporarily ordered Tennessee prison officials to let media witnesses observe nearly the entire lethal-injection process, siding with a coalition of news outlets that argued existing protocols violated First Amendment rights. Chancellor I'Ashea L. Myles granted a preliminary injunction requiring curtains to the witness room be opened at 10 a.m.—when the condemned is strapped to the gurney and IV lines are inserted—and remain open until the official pronouncement of death, instead of the current 10‑ to 15‑minute viewing window after drugs are administered. The order also allows execution‑team members to wear full protective suits and optional masks to conceal their identities, addressing the state’s claimed security concerns. The lawsuit, brought by organizations including The Associated Press, contends the public has a constitutional right to know how Tennessee carries out death sentences “from the time the condemned enters the execution chamber until after the condemned is declared dead.” Tennessee’s Department of Correction, which has defended its limits as necessary for safety and argued the press has no special access rights, did not immediately comment on whether it will appeal. The case could influence similar battles over execution transparency in other death‑penalty states as courts confront secrecy around lethal‑injection procedures and drug protocols.