PHOENIX — Arizona is just weeks away from having a court-appointed receiver running the state prison health system.
In a brief order late Tuesday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a last-minute request by the state to delay the order by U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver putting in Annette Chambers-Smith to oversee health care for the approximately 25,000 inmates in state-run facilities. The three-judge panel did not immediately explain its order.
The judges did agree to give attorneys for Ryan Thornell, director of the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry, a chance to convince them that they are wrong.
