Judge says Oklahoma can proceed with 5 lethal injections

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A federal judge in Oklahoma says the state can move forward with scheduled lethal injections for five death row inmates.

Judge Stephen Friot issued his ruling Monday in federal court in Oklahoma City. His ruling paves the way for the state to proceed with seven lethal injections scheduled over the next six months.

Five of those seven inmates had argued their executions should be put on hold while Friot hears a legal challenge to the state’s three-drug lethal injection protocol.

Among those five inmates is Julius Jones, whose case and death sentence has drawn international attention. Attorneys for the inmates have promised to appeal the judge’s ruling.