Fox v. Coughlin

This appeal considers the Due Process Clause as it relates to one aspect of a prison disciplinary hearing. The district court held that a prison official’s failure to assist an inmate in preparing a defense to disciplinary charges and a prison hearing officer’s failure to grant an inmate’s request to produce two correctional officers at the disciplinary hearing did not violate 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (1982). The district court stated that Fox had no clearly established right to assistance in preparing his defense or to the interview of two additional witnesses. Hence, it concluded that his claim was…