Supreme Court to weigh rights of federal prison inmates to sue over lack of medical treatment
The justices will decide whether a federal inmate can use a 1980 precedent to pursue claims after he says he was denied treatment after a riot.
- On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving Kekai Watanabe, who sued a nurse for failing to provide medical assistance after a July 2021 riot at a federal prison in Honolulu.
- Justices will examine the scope of the 1980 Carlson v. Green ruling, which established that federal inmates may sue officials for deliberate indifference to medical needs under the Eighth Amendment.
- Although denied hospital care and given only "over-the-counter pain medication," Watanabe was later diagnosed with a fractured coccyx; the Ninth Circuit revived his lawsuit, finding the claim valid.
- The Justice Department urged the Court to block such lawsuits, arguing they expose staff to "harassing litigation," while Watanabe's lawyers countered that allowed claims are "vanishingly small."
- This case reflects the Supreme Court's recent trend of limiting Bivens claims, as the justices increasingly decline to expand the ability to sue federal officials for constitutional violations.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Washington Examiner
Conservative News DailySupreme Court to review if inmate can sue for lack of medical help after injuries
The Supreme Court will weigh whether an inmate can sue prison officials for allegedly not giving adequate medical treatment following a prison riot, a possibly key case for determining the scope of prisoners’ Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishments. The high court announced that it will hear the case Nielsen v. Watanabe in its next term. It was the only case in Monday’s order list that the justices announced they would…
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Supreme Court to Weigh Limits on Suing Federal Officials Over Alleged Prison Medical Neglect
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case that could further restrict the ability of individuals to sue federal officers for alleged constitutional ... The post Supreme Court to Weigh Limits on Suing Federal Officials Over Alleged Prison Medical Neglect first appeared on [your]NEWS.
Supreme Court to weigh rights of federal prison inmates to sue over lack of medical treatment
WASHINGTON — Taking up a case that could further erode the rights of people to sue federal officers for constitutional violations, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider whether a prison inmate could sue a nurse for failing to provide medical assistance after a riot
Telemundo Phoenix/Tucson
WASHINGTON — In accepting a case that could further erode people’s right to sue federal officials for constitutional violations, the Supreme Court agreed on Monday to discuss whether an inmate can sue a nurse for failing to provide medical assistance after a riot. The case refers to a lawsuit filed by Kekai Watanabe, who claims that she was denied medical treatment after a riot in a federal prison in Honolulu in July 2021. The judges will discus…
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