Samuel Lee McDonald v. Mel Carnahan

Samuel Lee McDonald is a Missouri state prisoner scheduled to be executed on September 24, 1997, at 12:01 a.m. for the capital murder of off-duty police officer Robert Jordan. On September 17,1997, McDonald filed a pro se 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action challenging provisions of the Missouri Prison Litigation Reform Act, 1997 Mo. Legis. Serv. S.B. No. 56 (Vernon’s) (Missouri PLRA), and the Department of Corrections Locker Policy. The district court 1 dismissed McDonald’s claims as speculative and frivolous, see McDonald v. Carnahan, No. 4:97-CV-1927-CDP, slip op. at 5-6 (E.D.Mo. Sept. 19, 1997), and…