Natl: Supreme Court rules in favor of prisoners’ abilities to sue over civil rights violations
January 23, 2007 - 3:09pm
On January 22, a unanimous Supreme Court issued an opinion that supported prisoners’ rights to sue the government for civil rights violations. In Jones v. Bock, Warden, et al, the Supreme Court overturned a decision by the 6th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals that dismissed a number of suits from Michigan prisoners based on the Circuit Court’s interpretation of the federal Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
Congress passed the PLRA in 1995. The law drastically limited a prisoner’s right to sue for violations of rights by requiring a prisoner to go through a very long administrative process before a suit could be accepted by a court. According to the Supreme Court, the 6th Circuit had wrongly denied the Michigan prisoners’ access to the court when they dismissed the suits for procedural reasons. In his opinion, Supreme Court Justice Roberts stated that the PLRA does not require a lawsuit to be dismissed just because a person did not go through every administrative channel on every issue.
The cases are Jones v. Bock, 05-7058, and Williams v. Overton, and Walton v. Bouchard, 05-7142.
This news brief is based on a story in the New York Times, Court Eases Restrictions on Inmate Suits.
Congress passed the PLRA in 1995. The law drastically limited a prisoner’s right to sue for violations of rights by requiring a prisoner to go through a very long administrative process before a suit could be accepted by a court. According to the Supreme Court, the 6th Circuit had wrongly denied the Michigan prisoners’ access to the court when they dismissed the suits for procedural reasons. In his opinion, Supreme Court Justice Roberts stated that the PLRA does not require a lawsuit to be dismissed just because a person did not go through every administrative channel on every issue.
The cases are Jones v. Bock, 05-7058, and Williams v. Overton, and Walton v. Bouchard, 05-7142.
This news brief is based on a story in the New York Times, Court Eases Restrictions on Inmate Suits.
