Supreme Court to weigh rights of federal prison inmates to sue over lack of medical treatment
Source: NBC News
June 22, 2026, 9:41 AM EDT / Updated June 22, 2026, 11:11 AM EDT
WASHINGTON — Taking up a case that could further erode the rights of people to sue federal officers for constitutional violations, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider whether a prison inmate could sue a nurse for failing to provide medical assistance after a riot.
The case concerns a lawsuit brought by Kekai Watanabe, who alleges he was denied medical treatment following a riot at a federal prison in Honolulu in July 2021.
The justices will consider the scope of a 1980 Supreme Court ruling called Carlson v. Green that said federal prison inmates could sue officials for deliberate indifference to their medical needs under the Constitution’s 8th Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment.
Watanabe said he asked Francis Nielsen, a nurse at the facility, to be taken to the hospital after complaining about pain. He says he was denied treatment other than over-the-counter pain medication. Watanabe was later diagnosed with a fractured coccyx and was found to have bone chips embedded in surrounding soft tissue. He was ultimately referred to a specialist. He then sued, claiming that his 8th Amendment rights were violated.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rights-federal-prison-inmates-sue-medical-care-bivens-rcna350739
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