Feds asking SCOTUS to stay judicial order to transfer vulnerable prisoners "out of Elkton through any means"

Last month, as detailed here, US District Judge James Gwin granted a preliminary injunction ordering federal officials to identify, and then start moving out, medically vulnerable prisoners from the Elkton federal prison in Ohio.  Federal officials appealed this order to the Sixth Circuit, but a Sixth Circuit panel two weeks ago refused to stay it.  And a few days ago, Judge Gwin issued this follow-up order which stated that "Respondents have made poor progress in transferring subclass members out of Elkton through the various means referenced in the Court’s preliminary injunction Order."

Though one might hope federal officials would now really focus on making better progress moving medically vulnerable prisoners from the Elkton prison, they are still trying to get the order stayed by now turning to the Supreme Court.  Amy Howe here at SCOTUSblog reports on the filing from last night, while also providing useful context for this notable battle: 

U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco ... new filing ... was on behalf of the federal Bureau of Prisons and federal prison officials, asking the justices to put a temporary hold on an order by a federal district court that would require the BOP to remove or transfer as many as 800 elderly or medically vulnerable inmates from a federal prison in Ohio where nine inmates have died from COVID-19.

The case was filed last month by inmates at FCI-Elkton, a low-security prison in Ohio that houses 2,500 inmates.  The inmates argued that, as a result of COVID-19, conditions at the prison violated their Eighth Amendment right to be free of cruel and unusual punishment.  In an order issued on April 22, the district court ordered the BOP to “determine the appropriate means of transferring” elderly and medically vulnerable inmates out of the prison — for example, by compassionate release or parole or by moving them to another federal facility.

Yesterday, after the district court was unsatisfied with the BOP’s efforts to comply with its original order, it ordered the BOP to revise the criteria for deciding whether an inmate is eligible for home confinement and to quickly reevaluate whether inmates might be eligible under the new criteria.  It also instructed the BOP to explain, within seven days, why ineligible inmates could not be moved to another prison “where social distancing is possible.”

The federal government asked the justices to put these rulings on hold while it appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and, if necessary, the Supreme Court.  The government emphasized that, “even in normal times, an order requiring the transfer or release of ‘prisoners in large numbers * * * is a matter of undoubted, grave concern’” that runs the risk not only of “jeopardizing public safety” but also interfering in the management of prisons.  Moreover, the government added, the inmates are unlikely to prevail on the merits of their claim: Although “COVID-19 presents significant health risks,” the BOP has worked hard to reduce the risk of the virus in the prison, and the number of inmates in the hospital is on the decline.

The government’s request went to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who fields emergency appeals from the 6th Circuit.  She ordered the inmates to respond to the government’s request by Friday, May 22, at 10 a.m. EDT.

I am inclined to predict that there is at least one Justice inclined to vote against a stay and at least one Justice inclined to vote for a stay (readers can probably guess which ones). It will be quite interesting to see how the Chief Justice steers the Court forward on this matter.

Prior related posts:

• Federal Judge orders BOP to find ways to transfer prisoners "out of Elkton through any means" in the coming weeks 
• Feds appealing last week's judicial order to transfer vulnerable prisoners "out of Elkton through any means"
• Sixth Circuit panel refuses to stay district judge order to transfer vulnerable prisoners out of Elkton federal prison "through any means"
• Federal judge finds BOP has "made poor progress in transferring" vulnerable inmates out of federal prison COVID hotspot