KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Attorneys for death row inmate Harold Wayne Nichols are suing the State of Tennessee, accusing prison officials of violating the Public Records Act.

The lawsuit, filed by Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee (FDSET), claims the Tennessee Department of Correction is refusing to release key documents about its execution protocol, just weeks before Nichols must choose how he'll die. His attorneys say the state is hiding behind a secrecy statute, even after witnesses reported signs of pain during recent executions using the drug pentobarbital.

According to a release, the lawsuit is looking for records related to the state's new execution protocol following the Department of Correction finishing its multi-year revision of the lethal injection protocol. The

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