Case: In Re: Williams

2:03-cv-01277 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

Filed Date: Dec. 31, 2003

Closed Date: 2004

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Case Summary

On December 31, 2003, Lewis Williams and John Roe, who were both death-sentenced inmates of the Mansfield Correctional Institution in Mansfield, Ohio filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Williams and Roe asked the Court to stay their executions and issue an injunction against the defendants' use of their current lethal injection protocol, which they alleged would violate their Constitutional rights by torturing them to death. Specifically, they feared that the short-acting anesthetic used by the defendants would wear off too soon, allowing them to feel the excrutiatingly painful effects of the potassium chloride that was used during the lethal injection process. In addition, they argued that the defendants' use of pancuronium bromide would paralyze them, making them unable to cry out or alert their executioners that the anesthetic had worn off too soon.

The defendants argued that the complaint was in reality a successive habeas petition, which needed to be transferred to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and that the District Court had no jurisdiction over the claim. On January 6, 2004, the District Court (Judge James L. Graham) construed the petition as a successive habeas petition and transferred the case to the Sixth Circuit.

On February 3, 2004, the Sixth Circuit granted the defendants' motion to dismiss the case, ruling that this was a successive habeas petition, and that the plaintiffs had not met the requirements for filing a successive habeas petition. The plaintiffs sought review by the U.S. Supreme Court, and on March 5, 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the petition for writ of certiorari.

Lewis Williams was executed by lethal injection on January 14, 2004.

John Roe was executed by lethal injection on February 3, 2004.

Summary Authors

Kristen Sagar (9/10/2007)

People

For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/11801613/parties/williams-v-taft/

Judge(s)

Graham, James L. (Ohio)

Sargus, Edmund A. (Ohio)

Expert/Monitor/Master/Other

Meyers, Greg

Prichard, Timothy D.

Judge(s)

Graham, James L. (Ohio)

Sargus, Edmund A. (Ohio)

Other

Meyers, Greg

Prichard, Timothy D.

Attorney Contact Information via CourtListener

Documents in the Clearinghouse

Documents in this case

2:03-cv-01277	Docket (PACER) Williams v. Taft	March 5, 2004	March 5, 2004 Docket
1 2:03-cv-00055	Plaintiffs' Original Complaint for Injunctive and Declaratory Relief . . . Williams v. Taft	Dec. 31, 2003	Dec. 31, 2003 Complaint
9 2:03-cv-01277	Opinion and Order [Transferring the Action to the Sixth Circuit] Williams v. Taft	Jan. 6, 2004	Jan. 6, 2004 Order/Opinion
03-A-00590	Opinion Williams v. Taft Supreme Court of the United States	Jan. 13, 2004	Jan. 13, 2004 Order/Opinion 540 U.S. 1146
04-03044 04-03066	Order Williams v. Taft U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit	Feb. 3, 2004	Feb. 3, 2004 Order/Opinion
04-03044 04-03066 03-08664	Supreme Court Denial of a Writ of Certiorari Williams v. Taft Supreme Court of the United States	March 5, 2004	March 5, 2004 Order/Opinion 540 U.S. 1206

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Docket

See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/11801613/williams-v-taft/

Last updated Aug. 18, 2026, 6 p.m.

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Docket for: Williams v. Taft

ECF Number	Date	Description	Link
1	Dec. 31, 2003	MOTION for Leave to Proceed in forma pauperis by Plaintiff Lewis Williams Jr. (wh, ) (Entered: 12/31/2003)	PACER
2	Dec. 31, 2003	MOTION for Leave to Proceed in forma pauperis by Plaintiff John Glenn Roe. (wh, ) (Entered: 12/31/2003)	PACER
3	Dec. 31, 2003	COMPLAINT against all defendants , filed by Plaintiffs Lewis Williams Jr, John Glenn Roe, (Attachments: #(1) 4/19/02 letter from Haviland #(2) 5/30/02 letter from V. Lagana #(3) Affidavit of Mark JS Heath MD #(4 - A to #3) CV of Mark JS Heath #(5 - B to #3) 4/19/02 letter from Haviland #(6 - C to #3) 5/30/02 letter from V. Lagana #(7) Affidavit of Carol Weihrer #(8) 2000 Rpt of AVMA Panel on Euthanasia #(9) State Euthanasia Statutes 12/31/04 #(10) 12/17/03 Order of USCA 4th Circuit (Reid) #(11) 12/18/03 Order in Johnson v. Reid #(12) 10/9/03 US Supreme Court re D.L. Nelson #(13) 12/1/03 US Supreme Court Order re D.L. Nelson)(wh, ) (Entered: 12/31/2003)	PACER
4	Dec. 31, 2003	ORDER granting 1 Motion for Leave to Proceed in forma pauperis, -order directed to cashier to follow --denying 2 Motion for Leave to Proceed in forma pauperis --pltf Roe to pay $75 w/in thirty (30) days. Signed by Judge Terence P Kemp on 12/31/2003. (wh, ) (Entered: 12/31/2003)	PACER
5	Jan. 2, 2004	MOTION for Preliminary Injunction by Plaintiff John Glenn Roe and by Plaintiff Lewis Williams Jr. (Ferrell, Stephen) (Entered: 01/02/2004)	PACER
6	Jan. 2, 2004	MOTION for Preliminary Injunction by Plaintiff Lewis Williams Jr. by Plaintiff John Glenn Roe. (Ferrell, Stephen) (Entered: 01/02/2004)	PACER
7	Jan. 5, 2004	MOTION for Preliminary Injunction by Plaintiff Lewis Williams Jr. (Ferrell, Stephen) (Entered: 01/05/2004)	PACER
8	Jan. 5, 2004	NOTICE of Appearance by Carol Anne Hamilton O'Brien Defendants Robert Taft, Reginald A Wilkinson, James Haviland (O'Brien, Carol) (Entered: 01/05/2004)	PACER
9	Jan. 6, 2004	ORDER transferring the 3 Complaint filed by John Glenn Roe and Lewis Williams to the USCA for the 6th Circuit for authorization under 28:2244(b)(2). Signed by Judge James L Graham on 1/6/2004. (bw) (Entered: 01/07/2004)	Clearinghouse
	Jan. 7, 2004	NOTICE re 9 Order of sending Successive Petition Transmission Form to USCA. (bab, ) (Entered: 01/07/2004)	PACER
10	Jan. 12, 2004	NOTICE OF APPEAL as to 9 Order by Plaintiffs John Glenn Roe, Lewis Williams Jr. (bab, ) (Entered: 01/12/2004)	PACER
	Jan. 12, 2004	NOTICE of USCA case number for Successive Petition 04-3014 (bab, ) (Entered: 01/12/2004)	PACER
	Jan. 13, 2004	Transmission of Notice of Appeal and Docket Sheet to US Court of Appeals re 10 Notice of Appeal (bab, ) (Entered: 01/13/2004)	PACER
11	Jan. 27, 2004	Appeal Remark re 10 Notice of Appeal: the Supreme Court of the United States sent the following order; in it, it states that the application for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice Stevens and by him referred to the Court is denied. (bab, ) (Entered: 01/29/2004)	PACER
12	Feb. 3, 2004	ORDER of USCA as to 10 Notice of Appeal filed by John Glenn Roe, Lewis Williams: the USCA properly concludes that Roe failed to meet the requirements for filing a second or successive petition and having no sound reason to revisit those rulings, the USCA hereby denies Appellant Roe's Renewed Motion to Set Aside Judgment and further denies Roe's Renewed Motion for Stay of Execution. Appellant Roe's Motion to Expedite Appeal is granted and Appellee's Motion and Renewed Motion to Dismiss Appeal are granted. (bab, ) (Entered: 02/05/2004)	PACER
13	Feb. 9, 2004	Appeal Remark re 10 Notice of Appeal: Order from the Supreme Court of the United States denying the application for stay of execution of sentence of death. (bab, ) (Entered: 02/19/2004)	PACER
18	Feb. 27, 2004	USCA INFORMATION COPY re 10 Notice of Appeal: the USCA hereby denies the Appellant's Renewed Motion to Set Aside Judgment and Appellant's Renewed Motion for a Stay of Execution. Appellant's Motion to Expedite Appeal is granted. (bab, ) (Entered: 03/12/2004)	PACER
14	March 5, 2004	NOTICE FROM U.S. SUPREME COURT re 10 Notice of Appeal: the petition for a writ of certiorari is denied. (bab, ) (Entered: 03/08/2004)	PACER
15	March 5, 2004	NOTICE FROM U.S. SUPREME COURT re 10 Notice of Appeal: the petition for a writ of certiorari is denied in case 03-8356. (bab, ) (Entered: 03/08/2004)	PACER
17	March 5, 2004	NOTICE FROM U.S. SUPREME COURT re 10 Notice of Appeal: Assignment of Case # 03-8664 placed on the docket February 2, 2004. (bab, ) (Entered: 03/08/2004)	PACER