Indiana State Officials Sued For Blocking Media Access To Executions
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The state of Indiana has a law that blocks journalists from observing executions at the Indiana State Prison. But on May 5, a coalition of media organizations filed a federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn the law as unconstitutional.
In the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) sued Indiana state prison officials on behalf of the Associated Press, Gannett, the Indiana Capital Chronicle, TEGNA, and WISH-TV.
“Indiana’s total prohibition on access for the press to attend and witness executions is an outlier among death penalty states and the federal government and severely limits the ability of reporters and news organizations, including Plaintiffs, to exercise their First Amendment rights,” the lawsuit declares [PDF].
The news media organizations asked the court to declare that the Indiana state law violates the U.S. Constitution and injunction restraining state officials from enforcing this part of the code. They also urge the court to require that state officials grant the press access to the execution of Benjamin Ritchie and all future executions.