Ball v. LeBlanc

Plaintiffs, death row inmates housed in cells without air conditioning, filed suit alleging a violation of their Eighth Amendment rights. A panel of the Fifth Circuit held that an Eighth Amendment violation had occurred and that injunctive relief was appropriate but that the district court had exceeded the bounds of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) and Gates v. Cook, 376 F.3d 323, 339–40 (5th Cir. 2004), by mandating facility-wide air conditioning and setting a maximum heat index. The Fifth Circuit reversed, holding that the district court erroneously addressed the propriety of a maximum heat index, found that it was necessary, and issued a modified injunction that in certain instances incorporated it. The court remanded for further proceedings. View "Ball v. LeBlanc" on Justia Law