The Supreme Court agreed on June 22 to hear the appeal of an inmate who wants to sue prison officials for allegedly violating his constitutional rights by rendering inadequate medical care.
The new ruling took the form of an unsigned order in Nielsen v. Watanabe. No justices dissented. The court did not explain its decision.
Prisoner Kekai Watanabe says he suffered injuries in a gang riot in 2021 at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. He sought treatment from Francis Nielsen, a staff nurse, but alleges that Nielsen was intentionally indifferent to his medical needs by refusing his request to be sent to a hospital and giving him only over-the-counter medication. Later, he was diagnosed with a fractured tailbone and bone chips in nearby tissue….