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Federal Court Caseloads Threaten Constitutional Protections
Federal Court Caseloads Threaten Constitutional Protections
by Matt Clarke
Civil and criminal case filings in federal courts have grown dramatically over the past two decades, but at the same time the number of judges available to hear them has barely increased according to a report by researchers …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Third Circuit Denies Intervention in CRIPA Class-Action Suit, by Mark Wilson
- Pennsylvania: Wexford Settles Case Involving Death of Prisoner’s Baby
- Deaths at South Carolina Jail Under Investigation; Multiple Lawsuits Filed
- Eighth Circuit Reverses Denial of Qualified Immunity; Prisoner Proved Neglect, Not Deliberate Indifference, by Mark Wilson
- $66,000 Jury Award in New Mexico CCA Sexual Abuse, Retaliation Case, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Court Reexamines Test for Misconduct by Forensic Scientist, by Mark Wilson
- Summary Judgment Denied in California Jail Excessive Force Death; $8.3 Million Settlement Plus Injunctive Relief, by Mark Wilson
- $1.3 Million Settlement in Prisoner’s Death at Michigan Jail; Claims Against Other Defendants Dismissed
- Exonerated Texas Prisoner’s Ex-Wife Not Entitled to Compensation, by Matthew Clarke
- Cell phones are “Dangerous Contraband” for New York Felony Contraband Possession, by Mark Wilson
- Ninth Circuit: 27-Month Segregation Implicates Due Process Liberty Interest, by Mark Wilson
- Ninth Circuit: No Summary Judgment on Male Guard Supervision of Female Prisoners Ban, by Mark Wilson
- PLN Partly Prevails in Censorship Suit against Georgia Jail; $10,000 in Damages
- California: Authorized Possession of Legal Materials Cannot Serve as Basis for Gang Validation
- Claim Alleging Guard Slammed Prisoner’s Head into Wall Defeats Summary Judgment, by David Reutter
- Kentucky Death Row Prisoners Win Appeal on Religious Accommodations, by Derek Gilna
- Disciplinary Self-Help Litigation Manual, 2d Ed., by Dan Manville, by John Dannenberg
- Sovereign Immunity Doesn’t Bar Attorney Fee Award Against Georgia DOC, by David Reutter
- Screening Out Family Time: The For-Profit Video Visitation Industry in Prisons and Jails, by Bernadette Rabuy
- Former Virginia Executioner Now an Anti-Death Penalty Activist
- Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Freed from Prison
- Oregon Probation Extended for Inability to Pay Financial Obligations, by Mark Wilson
- Illinois Prisoner Receives $12 Million Jury Award in Medical Neglect Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Kosher Meals Lawsuit Against Nevada DOC Dismissed, by Matthew Clarke
- CDCR Employees Investigated, Lose Jobs for Cell Phone Smuggling
- Rhode Island Prison Guards Collect Double-Time-and-a-Half during States of Emergency
- GEO Group’s Florida Immigration Detention Center “Horrifying”, by David Reutter
- Georgia Deputies Liable for Detaining and Stripping Man in Debt Judgment Execution, by David Reutter
- “Damning” Audit Sharply Criticizes Corizon in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, by Greg Dober
- Third Circuit Affirms Nominal Damages, Reverses PLRA Fee Cap Order, by Mark Wilson
- Lawsuits Over Riot at CCA Prison in Colorado Settle for $600,000, by Derek Gilna
- Federal Court Caseloads Threaten Constitutional Protections, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of California ADA Suit Against Parole Officers, by Derek Gilna
- The United States and Torture, by William Blum
- Arizona DOC Director Blames Job Stress for Hundreds of Employee Arrests
- Texas Sex Offender Oversight Agency Faces Investigations, Calls for Reform, by Matthew Clarke
- Murders in Maryland Prisons Continue Despite Reforms
- Michigan Governor Lacks Authority to Revoke Commutations, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Private Prison Information Act Reintroduced in Congress with PLN’s Help
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Seventh Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Detectives Who Revealed Prisoner Was Informant, Denies Him Anonymity, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Holds Federal Law Prohibits County Jail from Forcing Immigration Detainees to Perform Custodial Labor by Threatening Solitary Confinement, Aug. 1, 2026
- New Mexico Supreme Court Holds Corrections Department Regulations Do Not Exempt Use-Of-Force Documents from Public Records Disclosure, Aug. 1, 2026
- DOJ Issues Memorandum Over BOP Employees Abusing Their Law Enforcement Credentials to Illegally Purchase Personal Firearms, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Summary Judgment Against Former Illinois Prison Guards Challenging Termination for Violating Use of Force Policy, Aug. 1, 2026
- Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Barring Enforcement of Executive Order to Transfer Trans Women Prisoners to Men’s Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, July 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Rising Deaths in Los Angeles County Jail Linked to Longer Stays, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug Overdose, Statistics/Trends, Suicides, Reduction of Prison Population.
- What 911 Calls Reveal About Jail Operations, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Statistics/Trends, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Staff Training.
- California Grand Jury Report on Deaths at Riverside County Jails, Sept. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Prison Reform, Statistics/Trends, Public Records.
- Court-Ordered Report on Jail Voting in Massachusetts Finds Low-Rate, Sept. 1, 2026. Elections, Advocacy, Statistics/Trends, Public Records, Voting Rights.
- 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.
- Florida Kills Two Prisoners on Same Day, Both Elderly, Sept. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Death Penalty, Death Row, Lethal Injection Method of Execution.
- “Safe Inside” Review Paid for by DOJ Found Prisons Grew Much Deadlier in Five Year-Period, Aug. 1, 2026. Work Conditions/Safety, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Staffing, Assaults on Staff.
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death, Compassionate Release.
- Prison Policy Initiative Updates Its “Money of Mass Incarceration” Report, Aug. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Forfeiture, Effects of Mass Incarceration, Ability to Pay.
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026. Court Access, Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Constitutional Challenges/Law, Counsel - Right to, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions.

