A group of Missouri taxpayers and former lawmakers has sued the state Department of Corrections over lethal injection policies used for executions.
The lawsuit filed Thursday claims the state illegally obtains the drug pentobarbital that is used to put inmates to death. It also alleges that the state receives the drug through an illegal prescription.
The Missouri Attorney General's Office is representing the Department of Corrections. A spokeswoman for the office declined to comment on pending litigation.
Former Democratic lawmaker Joan Bray is heading the lawsuit, along with former Democratic representative Jeanette Mott Oxford.
Attorney Justin Gelfand says he hopes a Cole County Circuit judge will temporarily halt what he called illegal executions. He says a hearing is scheduled for Friday, just days before an execution scheduled for Tuesday.
