On August 31, 2011, prisoners at Jefferson County Jail filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, against the Sheriff of Jefferson County and the Commissioner of Jefferson County, in their official capacities, and against Jefferson County. The plaintiffs, represented by private counsel, sought declaratory and injunctive relief, alleging violations of RLUIPA, and the First, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. Specifically, the plaintiffs alleged overcrowding, indecent living standards, restrictions on mail, ineffective segregation, and the prohibition of religious materials from inmates had led to numerous constitutional and statutory violations.

Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on November 8, 2011 to include discussion of a related state court case, Hale v. Jefferson County, CV-09-2041 (compress summary