Governor Schwarzenegger is requesting that any discussions, consultations, advice, or deliberations that California receives on changes to the death penalty, remain out of the press according to an article by Bob Egelko of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Chronicle and other newspapers asked a federal judge to deny the request. In December, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel ordered the state to revise execution methods to make sure lethal injections did not include a slow and painful death. The Governor's and Prisons' Attorneys asked Fogel for a secrecy order because they believe "internal debate would be harmed by disclosure of the outside advice officials receive and the options they consider." The order was allowed to contest the sealing of documents and a hearing is set for the twentieth of this month.

Mafia Boss, 73-year-old Renaldi "Ray" Ruggerio pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges on Thursday according to this AP story by Curt Anderson. Ruggerio, the boss for the South Florida Operations of the Genovese crime family, admitted he supervised a crew that committed crimes of robbery, extortion, money laundering and possesion of stolen property. He pleaded guilty after a federal judge did not throw out evidence of FBI wiretaps and undercover recordings. Four others pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy and two others are pending. Sentencing is set for April 27.

Four Hurricane Katrina hospital deaths could not be determined as homicides by Dr. Ana Maria Pou and nurses Lori Budo and Cheri Landry in an AP story. Coroner Frank Minyard could not determine the causes of death after numerous consultations with top forensic experts. The coroner's conclusion came just before a grand jury was considering murder charges. District Attorney Eddie Jordan will still present the case to a grand jury. Hospital administrators told investigators they overheard Dr. Pou saying she would give lethal injections to patients who were too ill for evacuation. The doctor and nurses have maintained their innocence to claims of overdosing the four patients with morphine and sedatives.

Enron jury convictions were thown out on Wednesday by District Judge Vanessa Gilmore in a story by the Houston Chronicle. The prosecution's use of a flawed theory and questionable jury instruction on deliberations caused Enron's former Chief of Finance Broadband Division, Kevin Howard, convictions on conspiracy, wire fraud, and falsifying books to be dropped.

Convicted sex offender, Neil H. Rodreick II 29, was arrested for posing as a twelve year old boy in various charter schools in Arizona according to a New York Times article by Jennifer Steinhauer. Rodreick who went by the alias, Casey Price after a child in Oklahoma, also lived with three other sex offenders: 61 year old Lonnie Stiffler, 43 year old Robert J. Snow, and 34 year old Brian Nellis. The three men posed as relatives, and regularly slept with Rodreick. Stiffler enrolled Rodreick in the different charter schools posing as his grandfather. Students, parents, and teachers of the schools say that he appeared very quiet and shy and looked like a seventh grader. The men are facing a series of charges and have pleaded not guilty to fraud and not registering as sex offenders. Rodreick served seven of ten years in an Oklahoma prison for lewd and indecent proposals to 6 year old boys. After release, he met Stiffler and Snow looking for young boys online. They believed he was twelve and took him to Arizona. Nellis was said to be in on the scam with Rodreick and had met while in prison.