PLN sues New Orleans jail officials - Associated Press 2011

Magazine publisher sues N.O. jail officials

Sept. 12, 2011, 3:44 p.m. CDT
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The publisher of a magazine about prisoners' rights issues is suing New Orleans jail officials, claiming they have illegally blocked prisoners from receiving the publication.

The federal lawsuit filed Friday by Prison Legal News and its publisher, the Human Rights Defense Center, accuses Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman and other officials of violating the free speech rights of nearly three dozen prisoners who subscribed to the monthly magazine but haven't been allowed to get it.

The publisher is seeking a court ruling that the jail has imposed an unconstitutional, blanket ban on prisoners receiving books, magazines, newspapers and other periodicals by mail.

A spokesman for Gusman said Monday he couldn't comment on pending litigation.