TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Lawyers for the suspect in the Tucson shooting rampage are pressing a federal judge to be notified if their client is given psychotropic drugs.
Defense attorney Judy Clarke says in a new court filing that 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner can't communicate rationally about his case and other matters.
Clarke says that because of Loughner's severe mental illness and inability to communicate, his attorneys should be notified before he's given psychotropic drugs to decide whether to take action to protect his rights.
Judge Larry Burns denied a similar request June 2, saying he's confident that staff at a federal prison facility in Springfield, Miss., knows Loughner may not be forcibly medicated without Burns' authorization.
Loughner has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the Jan. 8 mass shooting.
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