High Court: Under PLRA, 25% of Inmates’ Damages Must Go to Lawyer Fees
In a recent 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court resolved a dispute among lower federal courts about how large a share of damage awards inmates win in civil rights cases must be paid towards their lawyers’ fees. In Murphy v. Smith, decided February 21, turned on how to interpret §42 USC 1977(e)(d), a provision in