On September 13, 2018, the plaintiff filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. The plaintiff, an author of a Pulitzer-prize winning book about the Attica Prison uprising, wished for her book to be made available to prisoners who are under the authority of the Illinois Department of Correction [IDOC]. Her complaint alleged that the defendants, employees of IDOC, improperly censored her book by preventing it from being distributed in some of the prisons in the state. The complaint further alleged a violation of the plaintiff's free speech and due process rights, because there was no process available to challenge the censorship.

The case was assigned to Judge Sue E. Myerscough. The Uptown People's Law Center represent the plaintiff.

The most recent amended complaint was filed by the plaintiff on April 30, 2019. As of April 5, 2020, this case was ongoing and in discovery, with parties considering mediation.

Elizabeth Heise - 10/04/2018
Alex Moody - 04/05/2020


compress summary