Petitions of the week
on Oct 23, 2018 at 5:00 pm
This week we highlight petitions pending before the Supreme Court that address the preclusion of legal damages if the equitable defense of unclean hands is asserted; the constitutionality of the Florida Department of Corrections’ ban on Prison Legal News; and the eligibility of a criminal defendant convicted of violated the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act for relief, under the “safety valve” of 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f), from a mandatory minimum sentence.
The petitions of the week are:
Issue: Whether the Florida Department of Corrections’ blanket ban of Prison Legal News violates a petitioner’s First Amendment right to free speech and a free press.
Issue: Whether a criminal defendant convicted of violating the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.S.C. § 70501, et seq., and subject to a mandatory minimum sentence under 21 U.S.C. § 960, is eligible for relief from that mandatory minimum under the statutory “safety valve” of 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f).
Issue: Whether the equitable defense of unclean hands precludes legal relief in the form of damages.
