JURIST - Paper Chase: BREAKING NEWS ~ Ninth Circuit won't reconsider Oregon assisted suicide ruling

KGW.com in Portland is reporting that the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a DOJ request to reconsider its May decision upholding Oregon's assisted suicide law.

UPDATE: A majority of 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals judges have voted against rehearing a DOJ challenge to Oregon's Death With Dignity Act, the only law in the country that allows doctors to assist in hastening the death of patients. As previously reported on JURIST's Paper Chase, the Ninth Circuit ruled in May that Attorney General John Ashcroft cannot sanction or hold criminally liable doctors who prescribe overdoses under the assisted suicide law. The DOJ has not yet indicated whether it will appeal to the Supreme Court. Paper Chase has background on the DOJ petition for a rehearing. AP has more.