From the San Franscisco Chronicle, via Howard:

  California's 15-month-old moratorium on executions was extended at least until October on Friday to give a federal judge time to visit a planned new death chamber at San Quentin and consider an array of proposed changes in the state's lethal injection procedures.
  At a hearing in San Jose, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel said he needs to see the rebuilt execution chamber before hearing arguments on the state's revisions in prison staff selection, training and infusion of the lethal chemicals. . . .
  The judge tentatively scheduled a visit to the prison on Oct. 1 and a hearing on the state's plan the following day. He gave no hint of his assessment of the proposed changes, but made it clear that the case, and the moratorium, could last many months longer.

Will Judge Fogel be satisfied that the new room is a constitutionally adequate place in which to carry out an execution? Stay tuned. For prior coverage of the case, including a link to Judge Fogel's earlier opinion explaining why he thinks the design, lighting, and crowdedness of the room is constitutionally relevant, see here.