Matthews v. Appeals Court

Matthews, a pro se prisoner, unsuccessfully moved in the Appeals Court for leave to file handwritten briefs in certain civil appeals he has pending in that court. He then sought relief from a single justice of this court. He claimed he lacked access to a typewriter and that, in any event, he was unskilled at typing. At the urging of the single justice, Matthews filed a grievance with prison officials at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction. Thereafter, the superintendent of the prison submitted an affidavit to the single justice, averring that he would “ensure that Mr.…