Judge scraps order halting West Virginia needle exchange law

A federal judge has scrapped a temporary restraining order on West Virginia’s new law that tightens requirements on needle exchange programs

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- A federal judge has scrapped a temporary restraining order on West Virginia’s new law that tightens requirements on needle exchange programs. U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers made the decision Thursday, a week after saying he would consider the argument by plaintiffs that the law is unconstitutional, The Herald-Dispatch reported. Republican Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill in April over the objections of critics who said it will restrict access to clean needles amid a spike in HIV cases. The American Civil Liberties Union’s West Virginia chapter filed the federal lawsuit last month, and Chambers had issued the restraining order June 28. Chambers removed that restraining order and denied a request for a permanent injunction.