AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A judge has ordered Texas to release the name of the compounding pharmacy that provides the lethal drugs used in state executions.
District Judge Darlene Byrne on Thursday rejected arguments from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The agency argued that the name of the company should be kept secret for public security reasons.
But the judge sided with attorneys who argue that the name should be public record.
Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark said Friday that the agency will appeal, and that disclosing the identity of the pharmacy “would raise serious safety concerns.”
One of the attorneys suing the state, Maurie Levin, says the order is a victory even if short lived.