LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. attorney's office in Nebraska is reviewing allegations by a civil liberties group that state officials are trying to violate federal law through their attempts to import lethal injection drugs.
A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg said Thursday that federal attorneys are looking over correspondence provided by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska.
Jan Smith, the U.S. attorney's Criminal Division chief in Omaha, says attorneys need time to review the allegations but should decide by next week whether to act.
The ACLU of Nebraska said in a letter Thursday that state officials are actively pursuing the drugs despite federal warnings that they can't be imported. The group opposes capital punishment.
Gov. Pete Ricketts has said state officials are working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
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