Digest

DRUG SAFETY

FDA sued over drug used in executions

Attorneys for inmates on death row in three states sued the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, claiming the agency has knowingly allowed the import of an unapproved drug used in executions.

The attorneys urged a judge to block shipments of sodium thiopental, one of three drugs used in carrying out the death penalty. The sedative has been in short supply since the sole U.S. maker decided to stop producing it.

Most of the 35 states with capital punishment have already run out of sodium thiopental or will soon. The shortage has delayed executions in several states, and some states are looking overseas to obtain the drug.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in the District on behalf of inmates in Arizona, California and Tennessee, claims the FDA is neglecting its duty to inspect shipments of sodium thiopental.

The FDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

- Associated Press

ALABAMA

Defendant shot by judge in court melee

An Alabama judge pulled a gun on a crutch-swinging defendant who went wild in a crowded rural courtroom after being found guilty of harassment Thursday, a witness said.

A police officer shot and wounded the man, who had a cast on his leg, after he lunged at the judge and tried to grab the weapon, authorities said. But some witnesses disputed the account, saying the man who was shot never threatened the judge.

Struck by at least one bullet, the man was taken by helicopter from Goodwater, Ala., to the hospital at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, where he was listed in critical condition.

Witnesses identified the man who was shot as Bryant Keith Ford of Goodwater.

Court records showed that Ford, 25, was due in court on a harassment charge, filed by a neighbor who claimed he cursed at her in December after accusing her of talking to police about him. Judge Carlton Teel heard the case without a jury, and the trial lasted less than five minutes. Teel reportedly fined him $800.

- Associated Press