First Federal Court Win Ordering Release of Medically Vulnerable People in our Country’s Jails

Civil Rights, Racial Justice Organizations Win Michigan Lawsuit Granting Immediate Release of Medically Vulnerable People During COVID-19 Pandemic

Oakland County, MI – Civil rights and racial justice groups won a major victory today, ordering the release of medically vulnerable people from the Oakland County Jail in Michigan. Federal Court Judge Linda V. Parker granted a preliminary injunction which orders medically vulnerable people to be released from the jail because Oakland County cannot safely protect them from the grave risk of serious harm posed by COVID-19. County officials are risking the lives of everyone inside and the community at large because of their failure to respond adequately to the threat of COVID-19. This systemic violation of constitutional rights led to litigation in April filed by Advancement Project National Office, ACLU-Michigan, Civil Rights Corp, LaRene & Kriger P.L.C. and the Law Firm of Pitt, McGehee, Palmer and Rivers.

“In the midst of this unprecedented and deadly pandemic, people currently incarcerated in our nation’s prisons and jails are among the most vulnerable and powerless in our society and cannot adequately protect themselves from the lethal risk of COVID-19, without the intervention of federal and state court judges,” said Krithika Santhanam, Justice Project Staff Attorney for Advancement Project National Office. “Judge Parker’s order granting the release of medically vulnerable people currently incarcerated at the Oakland County Jail serves as a model for the rest of the country and provides the type of critical relief that comports with the law, justice, and basic standards of human decency during this harrowing time in our country’s history”

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