Media Contact

Meghan Holden, ACLU of Connecticut, media@acluct.org 

May 21, 2020

The federal court today moved the hearing date for oral arguments in McPherson v Lamont, a federal class action lawsuit seeking emergency action to protect people incarcerated by the State of Connecticut from COVID-19, to June 1, 2020.

The following is a statement from Dan Barrett, ACLU of Connecticut legal director and an attorney on the case:

“The court has encouraged the parties in this case to come to the table to negotiate, with the judge acting as arbiter. We have a responsibility to our clients – all incarcerated people in the state – to fight with everything we have for releases and other protections from COVID-19 for them. If negotiations prove the quickest way to move people out of harm’s way from COVID-19 in this life-or-death crisis, we will pursue them. If not, oral arguments in the case are scheduled for June 1."