Louisiana Blocks Release of 'Angola Three' Inmate

The state of Louisiana is now appealing the decision to release Albert Woodfox, who is the last incarcerated member of a group of high-profile US prisoners known as the "Angola Three," after a federal judge on Monday announced that the 68-year-old former Black Panther party member should be freed immediately and not tried again.

Following federal Judge James Brady's ruling, Louisiana Attorney General James "Buddy" Caldwell vowed to contest the federal judge's release order.

A spokesperson for Caldwell called Brady's ruling a "free pass" to freedom for Woodfox that was "based on faulty procedural issues," and that prosecutors would appeal the ruling "to make sure this murderer stays in prison and remains fully accountable for his actions."

On Tuesday, Caldwell filed an emergency motion preventing Woodfox's immediate release.

Woodfox spent four decades in solitary confinement since he was charged with murdering a Louisiana State Penitentiary guard in 1972.

In his ruling, Brady wrote that "the only just remedy is an unconditional writ of habeas corpus barring retrial of Mr. Albert Woodfox and releasing Mr. Woodfox from custody immediately".

Related: Solitary Confinement Is Being Rebranded in US Prisons

Brady also expressed doubt that the state could provide "a fair third trial" due to the unavailability of witnesses, the inmate's age and deteriorating health, "the prejudice done onto Mr. Woodfox by spending over forty years in solitary confinement," and "the very fact that Mr. Woodfox has already been tried twice."

"Mr. Woodfox has spent 40 years in solitary confinement under constitutionally invalid convictions," his lawyers said. "The only just remedy is his immediate release from prison.

Amnesty International has criticized the judicial process that led to the murder conviction of the Angola Three due to the lack of DNA evidence and that the prosecution was based on unreliable testimony from inmates who may have been bribed by prison officials, said the rights group.

The Fifth Circuit US Court of Appeals granted Louisiana the stay request filed by Caldwell on Tuesday. The appeals court now has until 1 p.m. Friday to decide whether Woodfox should walk free.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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