PLN settles bulk mail censorship lawsuit with Washington DOC
Seattle Times, Sept. 24, 2005.
PLN settles bulk mail censorship lawsuit with Washington DOC - Seattle Times 2005
Settlement reached over magazine suit
Seattle Times, 9-24-05
The Washington Department of Corrections settled a lawsuit with Prison Legal News last month for more than $443,000.
The settlement includes $100,000 in damages to the Seattle-based magazine, which reports on prison issues and is distributed nationwide. The remainder is legal fees and costs.
The magazine sued the state in 2001 for refusing to distribute some of its bulk mailings to subscribers in prison. In 2003, a U.S. District judge ruled the refusal to distribute was a violation of the First Amendment.
The judge's ruling was upheld earlier this year.
Prison officials still may bar inmates from receiving certain material through the mail, such as pornography or information on how to commit a crime.
Settlement reached over magazine suit
Seattle Times, 9-24-05
The Washington Department of Corrections settled a lawsuit with Prison Legal News last month for more than $443,000.
The settlement includes $100,000 in damages to the Seattle-based magazine, which reports on prison issues and is distributed nationwide. The remainder is legal fees and costs.
The magazine sued the state in 2001 for refusing to distribute some of its bulk mailings to subscribers in prison. In 2003, a U.S. District judge ruled the refusal to distribute was a violation of the First Amendment.
The judge's ruling was upheld earlier this year.
Prison officials still may bar inmates from receiving certain material through the mail, such as pornography or information on how to commit a crime.