Judge: Prison officials can force Loughner to take medication
They wanted to medicate him so he could stand trial, now they need to medicate him because he a danger to others.
A federal judge ruled this afternoon that prison officials may continue forcing Jared Lee Loughner to take anti-psychotic medication.
Loughner’s attorneys argued that the government is trying to make an “end run” around legal procedures by forcing him to take medication without a court hearing.
But, U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns ruled that federal prison officials made an independent decision that Loughner must be medicated to reduce his dangerousness to other people at the prison.
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Loughner killed six people and wounded 13 in a Jan. 8 shooting spree at an event hosted by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was severely wounded.