U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1976

Stevenson v. Reed

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · Decided April 30, 1976

530 F.2d 1207 (Federal Reporter, Second Series)

Counsel

David M. Lipman, Washington, D. C., Ronald Reid Welch, Jackson, Miss., for plaintiffs-appellants., P. Roger Googe, Jr., Asst. Atty. Gen., Jackson, Miss., for defendants-appellees.

Cases that cite this one

10 later published cases cite this decision.

Bounds v. Smith (Supreme Court of the United States 1977)
Valdez v. Roybal (District Court, D. New Mexico 2016)
A.M. ex rel. Youngers v. New Mexico Department of Health (District Court, D. New Mexico 2015)
John L. v. Adams (6th Cir. 1992)
Marvin Jones, on His Own Behalf and on Behalf of Those Similarly Situated v. Fred R. Diamond, Etc. (5th Cir. 1979)
Martin v. Phelps (La. Ct. App. 1979)
Glover v. Johnson (District Court, E.D. Michigan 1979)
Morgan v. Sproat (District Court, S.D. Mississippi 1977)
United States Ex Rel. Wolfish v. Levi (District Court, S.D. New York 1977)
Willie X. Stevenson v. Jack K. Reed (5th Cir. 1976)

This list shows which later cases cite this one. It does not say how they treated it, and no review of that has been done. Not a substitute for Shepard’s or KeyCite — verify before relying.

Opinion of the Court

PER CURIAM:

Seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, plaintiffs brought this § 1983 class action on behalf of all inmates of the Mississippi State Penitentiary. Plaintiffs contend that defendant prison officials have failed to provide the inmate population with legal resources sufficient to enable them to pursue their legal and constitutional rights. Specifically, they argue that inmates are entitled to state-supplied legal counsel and to an adequate law library.

In an able opinion that discusses thoroughly the facts and the issues of law, District Court Judge Keady held that where inmates had access to an adequate law library and to inmate writ writers, the due process clause did not require the state to provide them with legal counsel. Stevenson v. Reed, 391 F.Supp. 1375 (N.D.Miss. 1975). We adopt the opinion of the district court.

AFFIRMED.

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.