Reply ID: Blog4HR
created 20 Aug. 2017

WI Supermax Prisoner Asks Supreme Court To Review Appellate Court's Approval of Prison Staff Destroying His Educational Book and Drawings

Nate A. Lindell, a prisoner held in solitary confinement at the WI Secure Program Facility (WSPF) filed a petition for Certiorari with the US Supreme Court, asking it to review the 17 March 2017 decision of the Seventh Circuit US Court of Appeals (ca7.uscourts.gov), which approved of the seizure and destruction of:

*Lindell's drawings of wolves, Celtic designs, political cartoons simply because staff deemed them "finished" hobby projects;
*Lindell's books because he had more than 25 and the staff refused to let him choose the 25 to keep. Instead they picked the ones to destroy.

The case is Lindell v. Pollard, et al. No. 17-5398, and its status may be followed on supremecourt.gov, ph. 202-479-3011.

The Petition for Certiorari also aruges that the A.A.G. who represented the defenders in the District Court (i.e. Jody Schmelzer, schmelzerjj#doj.state.wi.us) should have been sanctioned under Fed. R. Civ. P. 11 because she misrepresented the law and the facts in her defense of prison staff, and because she gave additional reason for defendants' actions in a reply brief after having been warned in a prior case of Lindell's that such arguments must be presented in her opening briefs.

The seizures occurred in 2012 after Lindell was transferred out of WSPF (a supermax prison) to Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI), which occurred due to Lindell (after having spent over 12 years in solitary at WSPF) assaulting guards and threatening to kill one if not sent out.

It was because Lindell is thousands of dollars in debt from costs of litigating other suits that his extra books (chosen by staff) were destroyed. Prison staff only allow prisoners to mail out books, and Lindell couldn't pay the postage.

Some of the books destroyed, which Lindell asked to keep, were:
Reason and Responsibility (a philosophy textbook)
The World of Psychology
The Bedford Handbook for College Writers
Oxford Pocket American Dictionary

Samples of Lindell's wolf drawings, a self-portrait, and a political cartoon were attached to his Petition for Certiorari. Other art and writings on various subjects by Lindell may be viewed on his blog:

http://betweenthebars.org/blogs/540/
or
www.prisoninmates.com/NateLindell303724

*Readers, please share this post on your Facebook pages and email the Supreme Court with your support.