West v. Brewer

652 F.3d 1060, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 14662, 2011 WL 2811304
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit·Decided July 18, 2011·No. No. 11-16707·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinion

ORDER

Thomas Paul West is scheduled to be executed by the State of Arizona tomorrow, July 19, 2011. Last night, the district court denied West’s Emergency Motion for Temporary Restraining Order or Preliminary Injunction in which West sought to temporarily stay his execution. West filed a notice of appeal, and this morning filed an Emergency Motion Under Circuit Rule 27-3 for an Injunction. We deny his emergency motion.

In order to obtain preliminary injunctive relief, West must show “(1) that he is likely to succeed on the merits of such a claim, (2) that he is likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief, (3) that the balance of equities tips in his favor, and (4) that an injunction is in the public interest.” Beaty v. Brewer, 649 F.3d 1071, 1072 (9th Cir.2011) (citing Winter v. Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc., 555 U.S. 7, 129 S.Ct. 365, 374, 172 L.Ed.2d 249 (2008)). As we did in Beaty, “[w]e acknowledge that [West] has a strong interest in being executed in a constitutional manner, but he has not shown that this interest is threatened in this case.” Id. West has not shown that the manner in which Arizona intends to execute him “creates a demonstrated risk of severe pain. He must show that the risk is substantial when compared to the known and available alternatives.” Baze v. Rees, 553 U.S. 35, 61, 128 S.Ct. 1520, 170 L.Ed.2d 420 (2008).

The court heard telephonic oral argument on this matter today. At argument, Arizona’s counsel made several representations. First, he represented that Arizona’s protocol for carrying out executions, a relevant portion of which is attached as Exhibit A to this order, had been followed in the past and, more importantly, will be followed in West’s execution. Specifically, he represented that the drugs called for in the protocol are available in the State’s [1061] possession, and will be used in West’s execution. Moreover, he represented that the protocol will be followed regarding the locations and order of preference for insertion sites as detailed in Paragraph G of the protocol.

For the reasons expressed by the district court, reinforced by the representations made by Arizona’s counsel at oral argument, we conclude West has failed to satisfy his burden to demonstrate a substantial risk of severe pain by the method Arizona intends to use to execute him. Baze, 553 U.S. at 61, 128 S.Ct. 1520. Accordingly, West’s motion is DENIED.

EXHIBIT A

ATTACHMENT F

DEPARTMENT ORDER 710

PREPARATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF CHEMICALS

A. Confidentiality and Involvement

1. The anonymity of all personnel who participate in or perform any ancillary function(s) in the execution and any information contained in records that would identify those persons are, as required by statute, to remain confidential and are not subject to disclosure. A.R.S. 13-757.
2. All team members serve on a strictly voluntary basis. At any point before, during or after an execution any team member may decline to participate or participate further without additional notice and explanation or repercussion.
3. The Division Director for Offender Operations shall ensure that all team members understand and comply with the provisions contained herein.

B. Medical Team Members — Selection and Training

1. The Medical Team consists of: physician(s), physician assistant(s), nurse(s), emergency medical, technician(s), paramedic(s), military corpsman, phlebotomist(s) or other medically trained personnel including those trained in the United States Military. All team members shall have at least one year of current and relevant professional experience in their assigned duties on the Medical Team. Two Medical Team members (IV team) will be assigned the responsibility of inserting the IV eath- ■ eters.
2. The Medical Team members shall be selected by the Division Director for Offender Operations with the approval of the Director. Selection of the team members shall include a review of the proposed team member’s professional qualifications, training, experience, professional license(s) and certification(s), criminal history, and personal interview. Licensing and criminal history reviews shall be conducted, prior to contracting, annually and upon the issuance of a Warrant of Execution.
3. The Division Director for Offender Operations, with the approval of the Director, shall designate the Medical Team Leader. The Division Director for Offender Operations and the Medical Team leader shall ensure that all team members thoroughly understand all provisions contained herein as written and by practice.
4. The Medical Team shall be responsible for inserting the IV catheters, ensuring the line is functioning properly throughout the procedure, mixing the chemicals, preparation of [1062] the syringes, monitoring the inmate (including the level of consciousness and establishing the time of death) and supervising the administration of the chemicals, as well as other duties that may be assigned by the Director.
5. IV Medical Team members and nonmedieally licensed team members shall participate in a minimum often (10) execution rehearsals per year with the Special Operations Team.
6. The Division Director for Offender Operations and the Medical Team leader shall ensure that all team members thoroughly understand all provisions contained herein as written and by practice.
7. Any documentation establishing qualifications, including training of the team members, shall be maintained by the Department Director or designee.

C. Special Operations Team Members— Selection and Training

1. The Special Operations Team consists of a minimum of seven team members and a Team Leader.
2. The Special Operations Team shall be selected by the Division Director for Offender Operations with the approval of the Director. Selection of the team members shall include a review of the proposed team member’s qualifications, training, experience, personnel file (if applicable), criminal history, and personal interview. Criminal history and personnel file reviews shall be conducted annually and upon issuance of a Warrant of Execution. Additional selection criteria are set forth in DO-710.
3. The Division Director for Offender Operations, with the approval of the Director, shall designate the Special Operations Team Leader. The Special Operations Team Leader, with the approval of the Division Director for Offender Operations, will designate the team member that will serve as the Recorder, the team member that will operate and monitor the video/audio equipment and the team members that will dispense the chemicals as described herein.

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West v. Brewer, 652 F.3d 1060, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 14662, 2011 WL 2811304 (9th Cir. 2011).

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