Edwards v. Balisok
- Decided
- May 19, 1997
- Docket
- 95-1352
- Status
- Published
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
Cited 2,485 timesNo negative treatment found in this library
What later courts said
- holding that prisoner who files a § 1983 action challenging discipline procedures resulting in loss of good-time credits must show that the conviction has been overturned — Rubin Sira v. R. Morton, C. Artuz, D. Selsky, and G. Goord (2004)
- ruling that a prisoner could not bring a section 1983 action that necessarily implied the invalidity of prison disciplinary proceedings — Robert Huber v. Gloria Anderson (2018)
- holding that Heck is applicable to § 1983 suits premised on alleged violations of prison disciplinary procedures — Reed v. McKune (2002)
Each line is a later court’s own words about this case, not a summary. Read the opinion before relying on it.
How the opinion begins
[*643] Justice Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court.
In Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U. S. 477, 487 (1994), this Court held that a state prisoner’s claim for damages is not cognizable under 42 U. S. C. § 1983 if “a judgment in favor of the plaintiff would necessarily imply the invalidity of his conviction or sentence,” unless the prisoner can demonstrate that the conviction or sentence has previously been invalidated. This case presents the question whether a claim for damages and declaratory relief brought by a state prisoner challenging the validity of the procedures used to deprive him of good-time credits is cognizable under § 1983.
Respondent Jerry Balisok is an inmate at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. On August 16, 1993, he was charged with, and at a hearing on September 2 was found guilty of, four prison infractions. He was sentenced to 10 days in isolation, 20 days in segregation, and deprivation of 30 days’ good-time credit he had previously earned toward his release. His appeal within the prison’s appeal system was rejected for failure to comply with the applicable procedural requirements.
Statutes cited
Cite this
Edwards v. Balisok, 520 U.S. 641 (1997)Read the full opinion
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