California Restocks Execution Drugs:  California officials disclosed yesterday in a court filing that the state has been resupplied with sodium thiopental, one of the essential lethal injection drugs.  The state received the drug the same day Albert Greenwood Brown was scheduled for execution, but the execution had already been postponed after a ruling by the California Supreme Court.  Although prison officials now have enough drugs to execute four inmates, a new date for Brown will likely not be until next year.  AP writer Paul Elias has this story.

No Trick-or-Treating for Tulare County Sex Offenders:  The Porterville Recorder (CA) reports on a California county's efforts to keep children safe from sex offenders on Halloween.  Tulare County officials approved an ordinance earlier this week requiring convicted child sex offenders to turn off all exterior lighting on Halloween night, and prohibiting them from decorating their homes or distributing candy to trick-or-treaters.  The ordinance was passed under Jessica's Law, which gives local governments the authority to impose additional restrictions for sex offenders living within the jurisdiction.  Challenges to the constitutionality of the ordinance are anticipated.

Ninth Circuit Upholds Washington's Ban on Inmate Voting:   In an en banc opinion, the Ninth Circuit  today reversed its previous three-judge ruling striking down Washington's inmate disenfranchisement law. (See previous post here.)  In its opinion today, the court determined that for the inmates to prevail, they would have to show "intentional discrimination or that the felony disenfranchisement law was enacted with such intent,"  which they failed to do in this case.