Rowland v. Jones

Two issues are framed in these consolidated appeals: (1) whether state prison authorities may deny access to a newspaper entitled “Muhammad Speaks” and (2) whether a prisoner in the maximum security unit may be denied access to a medallion bearing the picture of Dr. Martin Luther King and the inscription “I have a dream.”

The district court ruled that the prison restrictions as to the newspaper constituted prior restraint and were violative of the First Amendment. However, the court held the restrictions imposed as to possession of medals worn around the neck to-be within the discretion of…