A Big Win for Wisconsin Prisoners (+ Their Families) Seeking Records About Staff Mistreating Them.
by Nate A. Lindell
created 1 July 2025
[newspaper clipping: Support Freedom of Information!
If you want to know what is really going on in Wisconsin prisons, please contact Judge Everett D Mitchell by May 31, 2025, reference case 24-CV-1066 Lindell vs Rees et al, and respectfully let him know how and why it is important to allow the public, investigative reporters, faith leaders, and loved ones, to have access to officers body camera footage under Wisconsin's Open Records laws.

Honorable Everett Mitchell
Dane County Courthouse
Room 6109
215 S Hamilton St.
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 266-4351
Fax: (608) 266-4062

Attend the hearing online and see his decision on June 2, 2025, 2:00PM Central
https://wicourts.zoom.us/j/6849199324
No password needed
Lean more about this case at https://tinyurl.com/JustMasonArticle and https://tinyurl.com/LyingDOC
Learn more about Nate Lindell's other work at
https://www.facebook.com/PrometheusWrites and https://tinyurl.com/NateLindellFiles
To tay involved with this ongoing effort or to donate to our legal fund contact Kansas City IWOC at 816-617-2336 or natester75@gmail.com
This announcement brought to you by Prometheus Writes' Executive Editor.
Original artwork by Nate Lindell, sourced from betweenthebars.org
B8| Sunday, June 1, 2025]

The ad to the left appeared in three issues of the Wisconsin State Journal + cost me $2,200. Whether or not they had an impact, I don't know.

But, I know that at the 6 June 2025 hearing, Judge Mitchell ended the WI DOC's blanket ban on releasing body-cam footage under WI's Public Records law. (Wis. stats 19.31-19.37). Now, prisoners + those who care about them, can request + have hope to obtain footage from body-cams worn by all guards working in max-security [?]/RHU [?] + all supervisors in max-security prisons.

That is huge, but we now must fight to require that all staff in all prisons in our state wear body-cams.

At present, I'm in a medium-security prison, where no staff wear body-cams, but where staff are still staff, still human, still in need of public scrutiny to keep them as honest as possible, which is the stated purpose of Wisconsin's Public Records laws. See Wis. stats 19.31.

While my case ended the blanket ban (all journalist investigating issues in WI prisons F-ing owe me!), the judge applied the wrong standard ("an abundance of caution") to justify redacting portions of the footage. He also blindly accepted the WDOC's claim there was no additional footage to turn over (despite evidence that there was additional footage). So, for those + other reasons, I am appealing. However, along with obtaining the body-cam footage I am entitled to my litigation costs and may, if the judge agrees, be awarded both statutory damages and punitive damages.

My appeal likely won't be decided for over a year. When it is decided, the decision will be viewable by other prisoners + the public, will clarify Public Records law for WR prisoners. Until then, you may follow the case on wicourts.gov, looking up Case No. 24-cv-1066, Dane County Circuit Court. Attached is the order that ended the blanket ban.

Support my efforts (I have 14 other suits pending) at (PayPal) prometheuswritesmedis@gmail + $PrometheusPublishing (CashApp). I spent 4,00+ on this case.

[attached court document]

Case 2024CV001066 Document 142 Filed 06-03-2025 Page 1 of 2
FILED
06-03-2025
CIRCUIT COURT
DANE COUNTY, WI
2024CV001066

BY THE COURT:
DATE SIGNED: June 3, 2025

Electronically signed by Judge Everett D. Mitchell
Circuit Court Judge

STATE OF WISCONSIN CIRCUIT COURT DANE COUNTY
BRANCH 4

STATE OF WISCONSIN ex rel
NATE A. LINDELL.

Petitioner, v. TERRIREES et al
Respondents

MANDAMUS ORDER, IN PART

In this public records case, Nate Lindell seeks recordings of body-worn cameras related to his detention for an alleged sexual assault on August 11, 2023. On June 2, 2025, the Court heard oral arguments and then ordered the Respondents to produce redacted versions of the body-worn camera recordings. The purpose of this order is to reduce, in part, the Court's order to writing to facilitate the Respondents redaction.

Bates Number 56 - the body-worn camera of Laturi.
From 9:16:00 p.m. until 9:18:55 p.m., the camera shows corrections officers restraining and escorting a prisoner in a private area of the prison. Out of an abundance of caution, this section should be redacted to ensure prisoners do not learn about the specific and perhaps secret methods the prison uses to transport prisoners. Everything after (;41:10 should be redacted for the same reasons. The interview from 9:18:55 p.m. until 9:41:10 p.m., during which the subject is seated, is conducted in a prison common area which is surely well-known to the prisoners. This portion must be released to the requester.

Bates Number 57 - the body-worn camera of Lange
Same redactions. Only the interview from 9:18:55 p.m. until 9:41:10 p.m. should be released; the remainder should be redacted.

Bates Number 58 - the body-worn camera of Zenk
This footage is from later in the evening. The parts from 10:20:26 p.m. until 10:31:49 p.m. depict an interview with Lindell, who is seated in his cell. Everything after 10:31:49 p.m. should be redacted because, once again, these parts of the video depict after-hours prisoner transportation, knowledge of which may impair institutional safety.

IT IS ORDERED that the , consistent with this order and for the reasons stated on the record at the June 2, 2025 hearing, the Respondents shall redact the body-worn camera recordings and produce the remaining part to the requester.

This is NOT a final order for purpose of appeal.