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Wisconsin Ban on Sexually Explicit Materials Unconstitutional
Loaded on May 15, 2002
by Bob Williams
published in Prison Legal News
May, 2002, page 14
The Federal District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin has denied a motion for summary judgment finding the Wisconsin Department of Corrections' (WDOC) ban on sexually explicit materials violated prisoners' First Amendment freedom of speech and Fourteenth Amendment due process rights. The Court later approved a class action settlement …
Filed under:
Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct,
Civil Procedure,
Summary Judgment,
Settlements,
Class Notice,
Sexually Explicit Materials,
Tapes/Music (Mail).
Location:
Wisconsin.
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More from this issue:
- Bailing Out the Private Prison Industry, by Judith Greene
- Hawaiian Women Prisoners File Suit Over Sex Abuse, Torture in Oklahoma Private Prison, by Lonnie Burton
- Suicides, Staff Negligence Plague Private Arkansas Juvenile Prison, by Lonnie Burton
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Failure to Timely Pay Filing Fee Dismissal Reversed
- U.S. Cited for Human Rights Violations, by Gary Hunter
- U.S. Cited for Human Rights Violations, by Gary Hunter
- High Cost of Prison Telephone Calls Goes to Illinois State Court
- Montana Supreme Court Upholds Refusal to Seal Settlement Agreement
- Prison Phone Rate Case Remanded to South Carolina State Court
- Wisconsin Ban on Sexually Explicit Materials Unconstitutional, by Bob Williams
- Grievance Retaliation States Claim
- Oregon Passes Pay-to-Stay Law
- New York Assault and Medical Case Settled for $5,000
- $400,000 Settlement in Oklahoma Jail Failure to Protect Suit
- Oregon Jail Settles Taser Suit for $197,000
- Arizona DOC's Endless Isolation of Suspected Gang Member Enjoined, by Roger Smith
- TDCJ-ID Must Provide Procedures for Prisoners to Identify Evidence Supporting Grievances
- $377,500 Awarded in Tennessee Jail Death
- Ohio Supreme Court Rules Indigent Sex Predator Gets Paid Expert Witness
- BOP Prisoner Release Public Notification Required Only If Current Offense Qualifies, by John E Dannenberg
- Illegal Strip Searches Cost Chicago Jail $6.8 Million, by Lonnie Burton
- Rape and Racism in Washington Prisons
- $50,000 Settlement in D.C. Retaliation Suit
- Wisconsin Jail Settles Escape Lawsuit with Escapee
- Compelled Attendance at AA/NA Violates Establishment Clause
- Former CCA Captain and Texas Probation Officer Pleads Guilty
- Section 2241 May Not Be Used to Challenge BOP Prison Placement
- Tenth Circuit Discusses Religious Rights in BOP
- Ohio Prison Supervisors Possibly Liable for Employing Known Racist Guard
- Eighth Amendment Challenge to California Integrated Yard Policy Is Triable, by Marvin Mentor
- County Supervisors Liable for Indemnifications, by John E Dannenberg
- Cold, Vermin and Sewage in New York Prison May Violate Eighth Amendment, by John E Dannenberg
- News in Brief
More from Bob Williams:
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Suit Over Fees Charged Prepaid Debit Cards Given To Released Prisoners, April 1, 2020
- Safety at Any Price - Massachusetts Corrections Fiscal Failure , Sept. 22, 2015
- Tenth Circuit: Heck Not Applicable To Diversions; Notice Required Before Statute Of Limitations Dismissal, July 3, 2015
- No Rehearing For Disciplinary Actions Vacated On Substantive Grounds, July 15, 2011
- Treatment Required For Prisoners Committing Sex Offenses In Prison, July 15, 2011
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Lawsuit on Hygiene Versus Court Access for Second Time, June 15, 2011
- Shrinking Budgets Force States to Cut Corrections Spending, March 15, 2010
- Maryland: Parole Supervision Fee Likely Does More Harm than Good, Feb. 15, 2010
- One of Every 11 Prisoners Now Serving Life Sentence, Feb. 15, 2010
- Pennsylvania Contractor Prohibited from Using State and Federal Funds for Religious Purposes, April 15, 2009
More from these topics:
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, Sept. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Settlements, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Florida DOC Rebuked for Seizing Prisoner’s Excessive Force Settlement to Cover Incarceration Liens, Sept. 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Settlements, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Trust Accounts, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Fourth Circuit: Error in Granting Judgment Prior to Adjudging Spoliation Motion, Sept. 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Discovery, Abuse of Discretion Standard.
- $500,000 for Mentally Ill Detainee Beaten by Guard at Ohio Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Summary Judgment, Settlements, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- $3 Million Paid by San Diego County for Diabetic Detainee’s Jail Death; NaphCare Settles Separately for Undisclosed Amount, Sept. 1, 2026. Naphcare, Diabetes, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Michigan DOC Legal Payouts Top $7 Million in FY 2025, Less than One Percent of $2.15 Billion Operating Budget, Sept. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Damages, Settlements.
- $11 Million Paid by Boston to Exonerated Prisoner for 37-Year Wrongful Incarceration, Sept. 1, 2026. Settlements, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Monell Liability, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence.
- Hawai‘i Pays $600,000 for Prisoner’s Withdrawal Death, Sept. 1, 2026. Medication, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $3 Million Settlement Reached with BOP for Attorney’s Fees in Sex Abuse Class-Action from Now-Shuttered California “Rape Club”, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Attorney Fee Awards, Settlements, Consent Decrees, Class Actions.
- $3.25 Million Paid by Georgia After Prisoner Bakes to Death in Outdoor Recreation Cage, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Exposure to Heat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.

