D. Dahne, Petitioner v. Thomas W. S. Richey

The case asked whether prison inmates have a First Amendment right to use threatening, abusive, or irrelevant language in prison grievances. On May 13, 2019, the Supreme Court declined review, so it did not decide that broader constitutional question.

On May 13, 2019, the Court declined to hear the case. The prompt does not provide a vote count or any opinion lineup.

The lower court's result stayed in place, affecting prison officials and inmates in the Ninth Circuit. For example, a prison officer facing a similar grievance dispute there may still have to follow that court's First Amendment approach.

This Supreme Court docket is finished. Practically, the lower-court outcome remains in effect, and any broader change would have to come in a future case or through prison policy changes.

The dispute was over whether an inmate's prison grievance can include threatening, abusive, or irrelevant language and still receive First Amendment protection.

Prison officials and inmates in the Ninth Circuit are most directly affected because the lower-court result remains in place for similar disputes.

Nothing more happens in this Supreme Court case. The Ninth Circuit result stands, and the justices did not decide the merits of the broader issue.