Legal Opinion
Smith v. Shawnee Library System
Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Decided July 14, 1995No. Nos. 94-2036, 94-3424PublishedCited by 38 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
KANNE, Circuit Judge.
Thomas Smith, an Illinois state prison inmate, claims he and other inmates in protee-tive custody were denied meaningful access to the courts. We hold that the prison did not deny Smith meaningful access, but we also hold that the class action status of the litigation is void.
I. Background
From 1980 to 1992, Smith was a prisoner at Menard Correctional Center (MCC), a maximum security state prison in Menard, Illinois. Prison officials placed Smith in the protective custody unit (PCU), where prisoners were segregated from the general population for their own protection. The…
2Cases cited29 opinions
- Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, Administratrix of the Estate of CatrettSupreme Court of the United States · 1986
- Turner v. SafleySupreme Court of the United States · 1987
- Bounds v. SmithSupreme Court of the United States · 1977
- Eisen v. Carlisle & JacquelinSupreme Court of the United States · 1974
- Murray v. GiarratanoSupreme Court of the United States · 1989
24 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by38 opinions
- James H. Higgason, Jr. v. Robert A. Farley, SuperintendentCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 1996
- Terrell Walters and Joseph Ganci, on Behalf of Themselves and All Others Similarly Situated v. James EdgarCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 1999
- James E. Williams v. Anthony Ramos, Theopolas Smith, and Robert GriffenCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 1995
- General Trading Inc. v. Yale Materials Handling Corp.Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 1997
- Robert Parrillo v. Commercial Union Insurance CompanyCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 1996
33 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.