BATON ROUGE- A Baton Rouge federal judge has ordered the state to pay nearly $50,000 in fees and costs incurred by attorneys for several death-row inmates who challenged their steaming hot living conditions.
    
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson found that state corrections officials manipulated the court-ordered collection of temperature data on Louisiana's death row
    
Jackson ruled in late 2013 that state officials were guilty of manipulation when they installed awnings and soaker hoses on death row, while the litigation was ongoing, that corrupted temperature data they were to preserve.
    
Mercedes Montagnes, one of the death-row inmate's attorneys, said Thursday the defense team had no comment on the judge's ruling and order.
    
Grant Guillot, one of the state's attorneys, also declined comment.