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Opening Legal Mail States Claim
Loaded on Aug. 15, 1993
published in Prison Legal News
August, 1993, page 4
Miguel Castillo is an Illinois state prisoner. He filed suit under § 1983 after three pieces of legal mail were opened by Cook County Jail officials in an eight month period. The items of "legal mail were marked legal mail," two came from the US district court and one came …
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More from this issue:
- Law Librarian Liable for Access Violations
- Choice Between Exercise and Access Struck Down
- Officer's Family Awarded $120,000 for Contracting TB
- Service Complete When Delivered to Prison Officials
- Non-Stenographic Depositions, by Paul Wright
- Federal Tort Claims Act Requires Exhaustion
- No Waiver of Witness Fees for IFP Litigants
- No Cause of Action for Defamation
- Opening Legal Mail States Claim
- Some Evidence Standard Meets Due Process
- Rules for Appointment of Counsel Clarified
- Disobeying State Court Order Basis for Section 1983 Liability
- Texas Studies Housing Prisoners in Foreign Countries, by F Lee Weiss
- Sanctions Against Pro Se Litigant Reversed
- Ad-Seg WACs Do Not Create Liberty Interest
- Section 1988 Attorney Fee Awards Explained
- Texas Proposes to Build State "Jails"
- California Visitor Search Ruling Modified
- The Federal SRA: A Social Experiment Gone Astray, by Lee Alphonso Moore
- No Right to Cross Dress
- Increasing Parole Review Time is Ex Post Facto
- Shackling Plainitff Violates Right to Fair Trial
- Money Damages Available for Consent Decree Violations
- US Marshals Liable for Beating
- Probation Officers Only Entitled to Qualified Immunity
- 9th Circuit Announces New Qualified Immunity Rule
- Dismissal Error for Failing to Obey Local Rules
- Ad Seg Right to Eyeglasses and Toilet Paper
- WA Repeals Cons Tolling Statute
- Retaliatory Transfer States Claim
- Default Appropriate for Obstructing Discovery
- Overcrowding Emergency Measures Get Old
- California Prisons Grow
- Court Reporters Entitled to Only Qualified Immunity
- Prisoners Retain Right of Bodily Privacy
- Disciplinary Isolation Triggers Due Process
- Florida Conditions Lawsuit Settled After 21 years
- Periodical Reviews
- City of Refuge, by David Finney
More from these topics:
- Retroactive Guideline Amendments: The Narrow Path to a Federal Sentence Reduction, July 1, 2026. Appointment of Counsel, Career Offenders, Mandatory Minimum Sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2), Guideline Amendment/Variances and Retroactivity.
- ICE Settles Suit Over Opening Detainees’ Legal Mail, April 1, 2026. Legal Mail, Attorney Visits, First Amendment, rights, Immigration Detention, Attorney/Client.
- Like Prisoners, Most Jail Detainees Now Banned from Receiving Physical Mail, March 1, 2026. Jail Specific, Mail Regulations, Legal Mail, Censorship, Digital Devices, Private Phone Contractors.
- Mail Went Digital in Alabama Prisons. Families Are Saying Their Mail Isn’t Being Delivered, March 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Legal Mail, First Amendment, rights, Access To Courts, Access to Computers.
- Oregon Supreme Court Announces Bright-Line Rule Requiring Dismissal Without Prejudice When State Fails to Appoint Counsel for Eligible Criminal Defendant Within 60 Days in Misdemeanor Cases or 90 Days in Felony Cases Post-Arraignment, March 1, 2026. Appointment of Counsel, Public Defenders, Indigent Defense, Constitution, state, Counsel - Right to.
- Most U.S. Prisoners Now Barred from Directly Receiving Physical Mail, Feb. 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Due Process, Legal Mail, Censorship, Warrantless Searches, Electronic Surveillance.
- United States Postal Service Declares Postmarks Could Be Delayed, Feb. 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Due Process, Legal Mail, Access To Courts.
- Delaware Supreme Court Announces Trial Courts Must First Resolve Defense Counsel’s Motion to Withdraw Before Addressing Defendant’s Plea-Withdrawal Request, Holding Failure to Do So Violates Sixth Amendment Right to Counsel, Jan. 1, 2026. Appointment of Counsel, Sixth Amendment, Counsel - Constructive denial of, Self-representation, Withdrawal.
- New Hampshire Guard Abuse and Theft Uncovered Through Poaching Investigation, Dec. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Legal Mail, Obstruction of Justice.
- Ohio Sued by Non-Profit Law Firm for Opening Prisoner Legal Mail, July 15, 2025. Attorney Client, Legal Materials, Attorney Calls, Legal Mail.