Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Cert. Granted In Prisoner IFP Litigation Fee Case
The U.S. Supreme Court today granted certiorari in Bruce v. Samuels, (Docket No. 14-844, cert. granted 6/15/2015) (Order List), a case that is important for prisoner litigation over religious accommodations-- cases that are often brought by prisoners in forma pauperis. At issue is the interpretation of a provision in the Prison Litigation Reform Act that caps monthly payments by prisoners proceeding in forma pauperis at 20% (28 USC 1915(b)(2)). At issue in the case is whether a prisoner who files multiple cases or appeals has his monthly payment capped at 20% of his total income, or whether he must pay 20% of his income each month for each pending case. The Circuits are split on the issue. In the decision below (full text), the D.C. Circuit chose the per-case approach. The SCOTUS blog case page for the case is here.
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Prisoner cases,
US Supreme Court