Queen Creek, Arizona — State corrections leaders have formally petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent an outside federal receiver from seizing operational control of Arizona's state prison healthcare operations, state officials announced.
In emergency pleadings submitted this week, legal representatives for the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry asked the high court to block an order by U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver that currently appoints receiver Annette Chambers-Smith to take command of correctional medical services starting October 19. The federal court mandate followed years of litigation concerning constitutional standards of medical and psychiatric treatment across state correctional facilities.
State attorneys argue that correctional administrators have achieved demonstrable improvements in clinical operations, including increased medical spending, expanded clinical staffing, upgraded facilities, and broader substance-use disorder therapies. After the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a stay of the takeover order, state officials retained veteran Supreme Court advocate Paul Clement to pursue emergency relief.
Clement argued before the high court that the federal Prison Litigation Reform Act compels judicial authorities to implement narrow compliance remedies rather than imposing complete administrative receiverships over state correctional institutions.
