Filed Date: May 1, 2024
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
This is a case about forced prison labor in Alabama. In 2022, Alabama voters approved a new state Constitution that banned slavery and involuntary servitude without exceptions for prison labor. In January 2023, after a widespread labor strike in the prisons, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed an executive order that allowed prisons to penalize incarcerated people for not working by removing their good-time credits and making it harder to get good-time credits in the future.
On May 1, 2024, six incarcerated persons represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a complaint in the Montgomery County Circuit Court against the governor of Alabama and the commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), alleging that the executive order (and subsequent legislation and prison policies implementing it) imposed involuntary servitude on them in violation of the Alabama Constitution. The plaintiffs alleged that the ADOC had punished incarcerated people who missed work with loss of good-time credits as well as other punishments. The plaintiffs sought declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and attorneys' fees. The case was heard by Judge James H. Anderson.
On August 1, 2024, the court dismissed the plaintiffs' claims based on lack of subject matter jurisdiction. First, the court held that sovereign immunity prevented the plaintiffs from suing Alabama. Second, the court held that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the relevant laws and policies. On November 19, 2024, the plaintiffs appealed the ruling to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals (docket no. CL-2024-0710). The appeal is ongoing as of December 2024.
Summary Authors
Ted Molina (11/3/2024)
State / Territory: Alabama
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: May 1, 2024
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Six incarcerated people in Alabama
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Alabama Department of Corrections, State
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief:
Issues
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: