Willis v. Commissioner

The plaintiff in this 2016 case is an inmate and a subscriber to the San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper. After a different inmate wrote an op-ed concerning “why black lives matter behind bars” that was published in the newspaper, the plaintiff was informed that he could no longer receive copies of the newspaper while incarcerated.  We have challenged this action as violative of the First Amendment. Summary judgment was sought by both parties and the Court recently entered a decision adverse to the plaintiff. (Note: The plaintiff is a different “Mr. Willis” than in the long-standing case concerning kosher meals in prison.)