Kimberlin v. Quinlan.

U.S. District Court

MEDIA ACCESS

Kimberlin v. Quinlan, 251 F.Supp.2d 47 (D.D.C. 2003). An inmate sued the director of the federal Bureau of Prisons and the chief of public affairs of the U.S. Department of Justice, claiming violation of his First Amendment rights when he was placed in administrative detention to prevent a pre-election press conference on his claim of having sold marijuana to vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle. The case was eventually heard by the United States Supreme Court and was remanded to the district court, which denied summary judgment for the defendants. The defendants appealed and the appeals court affirmed in part and remanded to the district court for determination of the intent of the officials. The district court denied summary judgment for the defendants, finding it was precluded by material issues of fact as to whether the officials intended to interfere with the inmate's access to the press when they arranged for his placement in administrative detention, preventing him from holding a pre-election press conference. (Federal Correctional Institution at El Reno, Oklahoma)