prisoner
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Federal judge says jury not influenced by incarcerated plaintiff’s appearance in shackles
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A federal judge last month rejected an incarcerated plaintiff’s request for a new civil trial in his constitutional rights lawsuit, concluding the jury was not influenced by the man’s appearance in shackles at trial. This summer, Dean Carbajal received a jury trial on his claim that Colorado Department of Corrections employees failed to protect him…
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Colorado court’s pilot program to aid self-represented prisoners launches after delay, tweaks
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Colorado’s federal trial court this spring began accepting participants in a pilot program intended to link incarcerated plaintiffs with attorneys for onetime legal advice calls, although the initiative has undergone changes since its initial announcement. Colorado’s U.S. District Court authorized a limited legal assistance program last year, allowing prisoners at Fremont Correctional Facility who have…
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Appeals court clarifies when ‘imminent danger’ applies in prisoner lawsuits
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Colorado’s second-highest court addressed for the first time earlier this month how judges should determine if an incarcerated plaintiff has shown he is in “imminent danger,” which would allow him to proceed with his lawsuit without paying the upfront fees typically required. Under state law, prisoners are not prohibited from pursuing civil lawsuits if they…
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10th Circuit underscores limited path federal prisoners face in suing government
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The federal appeals court based in Denver underscored last month that incarcerated plaintiffs have essentially no path to suing federal officials for money for violating their constitutional rights. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit explained that the U.S. Supreme Court’s precedent, as well as its own, meant prisoners…
