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In 2008, Mr. Bowe was convicted of a gun charge under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) and was sentenced to a mandatory consecutive term of ten years in federal prison. That conviction depended on Section 924(c)’s definition of a “crime of violence.” In 2019, the Supreme Court invalidated a key component of Section 924(c)’s definition, known as the “residual clause,” as unconstitutionally vague.

During July of 2024, medical staff at Marquette Branch Prison gave Mr. Taylor and another man at the prison the wrong medication, causing the other man to overdose and die. When Mr. Taylor sought to report what had happened, officers retaliated against him, and soon after a prison doctor sexually assaulted him while he was handcuffed during a teeth cleaning. Mr. Taylor brought a lawsuit in federal court, seeking relief for these abuses.

The State of Florida sentenced Sadik Baxter, at the age of 26, to spend the rest of his life in prison without possibility of parole for an accidental death that he did not cause, intend, or play any role in bringing about. The MacArthur Justice Center is fighting alongside Mr. Baxter to bring an end to extreme sentences for felony murder that are wildly out of proportion to the person’s culpability.

Within a two-month period, Defendants Andrew Reidy and Albert Piña subjected Marcus Lee Luster to two clear violations of his constitutional rights while he was detained before trial at the Pima County Adult Detention Center.

Andrew Finch, a 28-year-old father of two young children, was shot to death with a sniper rifle by Wichita Police Officer Justin Rapp less than 10 seconds after Andrew stepped out on his front porch. Andrew had committed no crime. He was not armed. He had not threated the officers or anyone else. In fact,...

Years after Erma Wilson was convicted and served an eight-year suspended sentence, Midland County, Texas, revealed that a member of the team that prosecuted Ms. Wilson was simultaneously employed by the judge who presided over her criminal trial – a blatantly unconstitutional dual employment. Because her sentence had long expired, Ms. Wilson couldn’t challenge her...

Francisco Duarte was heading back to his car after eating dinner at his favorite taco truck, when he saw Stockton, California police officers chasing and tackling a stranger. When he froze in place, police officers tackled him, pinned him to the ground, and beat his leg with a baton until it broke. They then charged...

Howard Smallwood, who has a documented mental impairment, was left seriously injured and traumatized after several prison guards used physical violence to force his compliance with an unnecessary blood-draw and then sexually abused him. Instead of offering him appropriate medical care after those appalling acts, prison officials threw Mr. Smallwood into segregation. The Prison Litigation...

Richard Glossip is scheduled to be executed by the state of Oklahoma on May 18, 2023, despite overwhelming evidence of improper state conduct in his case. The MacArthur Justice Center has filed an amicus brief on behalf of Oklahoma Rep. Kevin McDugle, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take Mr. Glossip's case.

When Jabari Johnson asked to speak with a prison administrator about his administrative grievances, Colorado Department of Corrections officers physically assaulted him, stepping on his already-injured foot, pushing him into a flight of stairs while handcuffed and slamming his already-broken jaw. Mr. Johnson attempted to sue to vindicate his rights, but a district court decided...