Fifth Circuit Conservatives Seek to Kill Overdetention Lawsuits

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit won’t rehear a ruling allowing a man to seek damages from the chief of Louisiana’s state prison system for being detained past his release date, over the protests of the court’s conservative members.

The 17 active judges on the New Orleans-based appeals court split 9-8 Wednesday against rehearing a panel decision that affirmed a district court denying qualified immunity to James LeBlanc, who is fighting the lawsuit from Brian McNeal.

Brian McNeal alleges in his complaint that he was illegally detained past his release date, after corrections officials believed he was ...