Ohio prepares appeal in case that halted execution

COLUMBUS (AP) — The Ohio attorney general’s office was preparing its appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court today to defend its lethal-injection procedures against a federal court decision that halted an execution planned for this week.

The appeal to the high court is a priority, but attorneys were working as thoughtfully as possible and the timetable for filing wasn’t known, said Lisa Peterson Hackley, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Mike DeWine.

Wednesday’s planned execution of Charles Lorraine, 45, of Trumbull County was halted last week by U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frost, who said Ohio’s corrections department had once again failed to follow its own rules for executions.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the ruling, prompting DeWine and Gov. John Kasich to say they would take the case to the Supreme Court.