October Term 2015 · Docket 14-844
How much do prisoners pay to appeal?
Prisoners dispute whether they must pay all district court fees before paying appeal fees.
Verified source milestones
- — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
The arguments, in order
This case may have been argued more than once. Each entry below uses that session's official transcript. Later arguments do not erase earlier ones.
Argument 1 ·
What happened at the argument
Mr. Shelley argued the per-prisoner approach fits the text.
Ms. Saharsky argued the statute views each case separately.
Justice Ginsburg asked about cost awards after a loss.
Justice Scalia questioned the disincentive for filing many cases.
Read the official transcript for this argument · Official argument details
Sources used for this argument breakdown
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 22-26 — Transcript, file page 10, lines 22-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 22-28 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 22-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 23, lines 28-28 — Transcript, file page 23, lines 28-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 38-44 — Transcript, file page 27, lines 38-44
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 18-28 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 18-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 8-16 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 8-16
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 36-38 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 36-38
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 41, lines 50-8 — Transcript, file page 41, lines 50-8
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 16-24 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 16-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 28-34 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 28-34
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 46-48 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 46-48
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 8-12 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 8-12
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 14-24 — Transcript, file page 6, lines 14-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 10-16 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 10-16
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 48-30 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 48-30
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 44-1 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 44-1
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 16-28 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 16-28
A citizen's guide to the whole case
What this case is about
The case asks how the Prison Litigation Reform Act calculates fees for appeals.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 23, lines 28-28 — Transcript, file page 23, lines 28-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 38-44 — Transcript, file page 27, lines 38-44
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 18-28 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 18-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 41, lines 50-8 — Transcript, file page 41, lines 50-8
How the case got here
The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on November 4, 2015.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 8-16 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 8-16
What each side wants
the sides that brought the case want to pay appeal fees before finishing district court fees.
the opposing sides want prisoners to finish district court fees first.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 23, lines 28-28 — Transcript, file page 23, lines 28-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 38-44 — Transcript, file page 27, lines 38-44
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 18-28 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 18-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 41, lines 50-8 — Transcript, file page 41, lines 50-8
What each side says
the sides that brought the case argue the law supports paying fees per prisoner.
the opposing sides argue the law requires full payment of prior fees.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 23, lines 28-28 — Transcript, file page 23, lines 28-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 38-44 — Transcript, file page 27, lines 38-44
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 18-28 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 18-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 41, lines 50-8 — Transcript, file page 41, lines 50-8
What the justices asked
Justice Ginsburg asked if appeal fees wait for district fees.
Justice Scalia asked if filing many cases avoids paying fees.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 22-26 — Transcript, file page 10, lines 22-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 22-28 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 22-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 36-38 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 36-38
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 16-24 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 16-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 28-34 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 28-34
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 46-48 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 46-48
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 8-12 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 8-12
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 14-24 — Transcript, file page 6, lines 14-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 10-16 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 10-16
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 48-30 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 48-30
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 44-1 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 44-1
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 16-28 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 16-28
Why it matters
This dispute changes how much money prisoners pay to sue.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 23, lines 28-28 — Transcript, file page 23, lines 28-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 38-44 — Transcript, file page 27, lines 38-44
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 18-28 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 18-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 41, lines 50-8 — Transcript, file page 41, lines 50-8
What happens next
This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 22-26 — Transcript, file page 10, lines 22-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 22-28 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 22-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 8-16 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 8-16
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 36-38 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 36-38
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 16-24 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 16-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 28-34 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 28-34
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 46-48 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 46-48
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 8-12 — Transcript, file page 5, lines 8-12
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 14-24 — Transcript, file page 6, lines 14-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 10-16 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 10-16
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 48-30 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 48-30
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 44-1 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 44-1
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 16-28 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 16-28
Official Court provenance
Official docket and case history · Official Supreme Court oral-argument detail page
Title and summary sources
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 23, lines 28-28 — Transcript, file page 23, lines 28-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 38-44 — Transcript, file page 27, lines 38-44
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 18-28 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 18-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 41, lines 50-8 — Transcript, file page 41, lines 50-8
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 23, lines 28-28 — Transcript, file page 23, lines 28-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 38-44 — Transcript, file page 27, lines 38-44
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 18-28 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 18-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 41, lines 50-8 — Transcript, file page 41, lines 50-8
Revision history
- Revision 1 · Official Transcript ·
Correction: Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.
- Revision 2 · Official Transcript ·
Correction: Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.