MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday rejected a lawsuit seeking the release of inmates from state prisons as a way to reduce the risk of them contracting the coronavirus.
The court declined to take a lawsuit filed earlier this month by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin on behalf of two inmates with preexisting conditions. The court, in an unsigned order, noted steps taken by the state Department of Corrections to mitigate risks to inmates.
The court said it was not within its powers to assign someone to determine which inmates should be released, as the lawsuit sought. It also said it wasn’t proper for an original action filed directly with the Supreme Court, rather than first making its way through lower courts.
The ACLU argued for the release, saying Wisconsin’s overcrowded prisons were ripe for outbreaks of COVID-19, putting inmates who are elderly or have preexisting conditions at risk.
The lawsuit mirrored similar attempts by prisoner rights advocates in other states to release inmates who would be the most susceptible to the coronavirus.
