Filed Date: Jan. 19, 1978
Clearinghouse coding complete
In 1978, inmates of the State Correctional Institution at Graterford filed a Section 1983 suit in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, pro se, against the Secretary of Corrections for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and prison officials. Plaintiffs alleged that defendants' plan to close the inmate run Para-Professional Law Clinic would violate inmates constitutional right of access to the courts.
Following a two-day hearing, the District Court (Judge Joseph S. Lord, III) held that closing PPLC violated inmates' rights to obtain legal assistance from other inmates and, in the absence of an adequate law library, inmates' rights of access to the courts. Subsequently, the court ordered that the Clinic be reopened. Wade v. Kane, 448 F. Supp. 678 (E.D. Pa. 1978).
Following Judge Lord's order, another group of inmates from the PPLC filed a complaint raising the same issues. Subsequently, this case was consolidated with Para-Professional Law Clinic v. Kane, which is included in the clearinghouse under PC-PA-008.
Summary Authors
Eoghan Keenan (6/10/2005)
U.S. ex. Rel. Paraprofessional Law Clinic v. Kane, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1978)
Lord, Joseph Simon III (Pennsylvania)
Vickers, Maria Parisi (Pennsylvania)
Lord, Joseph Simon III (Pennsylvania)
Last updated Feb. 15, 2024, 3:03 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Pennsylvania
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Jan. 19, 1978
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
State prisoners alleging that closing of prison law clinic by prison and state authorities deprived them of their constitutional rights
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Unknown
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: Unknown
Class Action Outcome: Unknown
Defendants
State Correctional Institution (Graterford), State
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Due Process: Procedural Due Process
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1978 - 0
Issues
General:
Access to lawyers or judicial system
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Type of Facility: