Disparaging Prisoner Complaints Won’t Get SCOTUS Look

The U.S. Supreme Court won’t look at whether prison officials can deny inmate complaints simply because they contain disparaging language.

Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr., Clarence Thomas, and Brett M. Kavanaugh dissented from the move to turn away an appeal involving a prisoner’s grievance that described a prison guard as “extremely obese.”

There’s no legitimate justification for prohibiting disrespectful language in grievances, the Ninth Circuit said in a decision that Alito argued “defies both our precedents and common sense.”

The high court’s refusal to take the issue could have ramifications for other state policies.

Washington noted in its brief that ...