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No. 19-7899October Term 2019Decided May 18, 2020

Docket 19-7899October Term 2019 (2019–2020)

Nigl v. Litscher

Nigl filed a petition for a writ of certiorari and a motion to proceed in forma pauperis to the Supreme Court, seeking review of a decision by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Case status

Current stage
Decided
Latest event
Decision released May 18, 2020
Case Accepted
Arguments
Decision ReleasedMay 18, 2020
What it's about

Nigl filed a petition for a writ of certiorari and a motion to proceed in forma pauperis to the Supreme Court, seeking review of a decision by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Question presented

1. Whether the "neutrality" of a prison regulation under Thornburgh v. Abbott, 490 U.S. 401 (1989), depends on the regulation's facial content-neutrality or the government's motive for adopting it. 2. Whether, under Turner v. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987), a prison regulation that infringes on First Amendment rights can be upheld as "rationally related" to a legitimate penological interest in the absence of any evidence that the restricted speech actually causes the harms the regulation is intended to prevent.

Case path

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit / Decision released May 18, 2020

Area

First Amendment

Grounding

Grounding
Primary-source trail available.
Note
Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
Checked
Mar 31, 2026
Primary materials5