Thread by @JoshuaMatz8

BREAKING: Major opinion from the Second Circuit in Federal Defenders of New York v Bureau of Prisons

"The Defenders describe a course of events that demands the attention of all components of the system that our country relies on for meting out justice."

ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isys…

In its powerful, unanimous decision -- authored by all three judges on the panel (Walker, Parker, Carney) -- the Second Circuit emphasizes the importance of "real-time, comprehensive solutions" to healthy & safety crises at federal prisons.

This lawsuit was filed after the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn lost heat and power last winter, causing a humanitarian crisis & illegal limits on attorney access

Here, the Second Circuit also highlights the "drastic challenge" to prison safety "presented by COVID-19"

It urges "in the strongest possible terms" that the district court appoint "an individual with the stature, experience, and knowledge necessary to ... facilitate the adoption of procedures for dealing with ongoing and future emergencies, including the COVID-19 outbreak"

"Such a person should diligently and speedily work to ensure that those incarcerated at the MDC and those who represent them have access to each other, and that the BOP ... takes every reasonable step to preserve the [legal] rights of the inmates and their counsel."

In light of the Second Circuit's decision, the district judge immediately scheduled a hearing for Monday afternoon.

My colleagues and I at @KaplanHecker -- including @hecker_sean, as well as Jenna Dabbs, Matthew Craig, and Benjamin White -- are proud to represent the Federal Defenders of New York in this important case.

You can learn more here:

kaplanhecker.com/newsroom/khf-f…