Judge overturns California assisted suicide law

A California judge on Tuesday threw out the state’s assisted suicide law on a technicality. The state legislature passed the law during a special session devoted to other business, making it unconstitutional, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia ruled. The law, which went into effect June 9, 2016, allows adults to get prescriptions for life-ending drugs if a doctor has ruled they have less then six months to live. State health officials reported 111 terminally ill people committed assisted suicide in the first six months the law was in effect. Ottolia gave the state five days before his ruling goes into effect to file an emergency appeal, something California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said he intends to do.