Punch and Jurists

Ramirez v. Pugh, No. 02-2101 (3rd Cir.) (379 F.3d 122) (August 12, 2004) (Judge Robert E. Cowen) by Sharply disagreeing with the D.C. Circuit, the Third Circuit held that the Ensign Amendment, which bars the distribution of sexually explicity materials in prison, was facially invlid as overly broad and unsupported …

Amatel v. Reno, No. 97-5293 (D.C. Cir.) (156 F.3d 192) (September 15, 1998) (Judge Stephen F. Williams) by Case reversed decision by Judge Sporkin which held that legislation and prison regulations that effectively prohibited distribution of publications such as Playboy and Penthouse were facially invalid under the First Amendment. This …

Amatel v. Reno, No. Civil Action No. 96-2774(SS) (D.D.C.) (975 F.Supp. 365) (August 12, 1997) (Judge Stanley Sporkin) by This is a significant prison litigation case in which the court invalidated - as "facially violative of the First Amendment" - a recent, little noticed statute that permits the Federal Bureau …