An Arkansas judge's efforts to obtain documents and testimony from the state Supreme Court on its decision to bar him from hearing any death penalty cases has been put on hold.
The high court asked for the delay until a federal judge decides whether to allow a lawsuit against the justices to proceed.
U.S. District Judge James M. Moody Jr. on Monday granted a request to temporarily stay discovery in Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen's lawsuit. That suit challenges justices' decision to bar him from any cases involving the death penalty.
Justices last year disqualified Griffen days after he was photographed strapped to a cot outside the governor's mansion during an anti-death penalty demonstration.
Justices asked Moody to halt discovery while he weighs their request to dismiss the lawsuit.