Lawyers want Loughner mental exam to be stopped

PHOENIX (AP) — Defense lawyers want a federal judge to reconsider his order requiring the suspect in the Tucson shooting rampage that injured a congresswoman to undergo a mental examination in Missouri.

Jared Lee Loughner’s attorneys asked in court documents filed late Tuesday that the order be put on hold by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns while they appeal the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Burns issued an order Monday requiring the mental exam to be done at a federal Bureau of Prisons facility in Springfield, Mo., and a videotape of the session to be provided to prosecutors and defense attorneys.

Loughner’s lawyers argue the order should be stayed to avoid irreparable injury to their client’s rights while this issue is reviewed by the courts.