Thursday, May 23, 2013

Sandin v. Conner case brief

Sandin v. Conner case brief
515 U.S. 472, 115 S. Ct. 2293, 132 L. Ed. 2d 418 (1995)

CASE SYNOPSIS: The Court heard the case on writ of certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The Court indicated that certiorari was granted to reexamine the circumstances under which state prison regulations afforded inmates a liberty interest protected by the Due Process Clause.

FACTS: Petitioner State requested certiorari to enable review of the appeals court's judgment that reversed a summary judgment in petitioner's favor because the appeals court found that respondent prisoner was entitled to call witnesses at a disciplinary hearing. The Court found that states may under certain circumstances create liberty interests that are protected by the Due Process Clause. However, the Court held that respondent prisoner's discipline in segregated confinement did not present the type of atypical, significant deprivation in which a state might conceivably create a liberty interest. The Court noted that the record showed that respondent's punishment, with insignificant exceptions, mirrored the conditions imposed upon inmates in administrative segregation and protective custody. Furthermore, the Court found that the regime respondent was subjected to as a result of the misconduct hearing was within the range of confinement normally expected for someone serving an indeterminate term of 30 years to life.

CONCLUSION: The Court reversed the appeals court's judgment.

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