Howell — A federal judge says the Livingston County Jail must notify senders when mail sent to inmates is rejected or censored.

The ruling Thursday from U.S. District Court Judge Denise Page Hood came in a lawsuit over the jail’s refusal to distribute a journal titled Prison Legal News.

Attorney T. Joseph Seward, a lawyer representing the county, said Friday it wasn’t immediately clear how the decision would affect the jail, since rejected mail already is returned to the sender.

The Associated Press left a message seeking comment with the sheriff’s department.

Prison Legal News sued the sheriff’s department in 2011, saying a policy of limiting most incoming and outgoing mail to postcards banned the delivery of its journal and was unconstitutional. The American Civil Liberties Union separately sued over the issue.