Shaw v. Murphy
United States Supreme Court
532 U.S. 223 (2001)
- Written by Megan Petersen, JD
Facts
Murphy (defendant) was a prisoner who served as an inmate law clerk, providing legal assistance to fellow prisoners. Upon learning that a fellow inmate had been charged with assaulting a correctional officer, Murphy wrote a letter to the inmate offering him legal advice. Shaw (plaintiff), an officer in the maximum-security unit, intercepted the letter and reviewed it. Finding that the letter violated prison policy, Shaw cited Murphy for violations of the prison’s rules prohibiting insolence, interference with due process hearings, and conduct that disrupts or interferes with the security and orderly operation of the institution. Murphy appealed his citation, and the court of appeals held that the prison policy governing inmate-to-inmate correspondence that includes legal assistance violated the First Amendment. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Thomas, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 780,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
