Longval v. Superior Court Department of the Trial Court

This is an appeal from a single justice’s decision denying the plaintiff’s request for declaratory and injunctive relief regarding statutory provisions requiring inmates to pay court filing fees in civil cases. See G. L. c. 261, §§ 27A, 29. The plaintiff, Norman L. Longval, claims that these enactments, among others, unconstitutionally burden both his right to access the courts and his right to equal protection because they treat inmates in a “different and more onerous” manner than other citizens. Following the lead of the Federal courts that have assessed similar arguments, we affirm the…