Grant v. Trammell

GORSUCH, Circuit Judge.

While serving a long sentence in state prison for a series of armed robberies, John Grant won a job as a kitchen worker. The job brought him under the supervision of Gay Carter, a civilian prison employee, but it wasn’t one that lasted very long. Mr. Grant was soon fired after he was caught fighting with another inmate — and Mr. Grant didn’t take getting fired very well. He came to bear a grudge against Ms. Carter, a woman he used to get along with and even considered a friend.

Seeing Ms. Carter one day during a morning breakfast service, he told her, “I’ll get you,…