Brown v. Plata

Two consolidated class actions challenged California's prison conditions — one involving prisoners with serious mental illness, the other with serious medical conditions — with the state itself conceding that its "broken beyond repair" medical system caused unconscionable suffering and death, violating the Eighth Amendment. After extensive evidentiary proceedings, a three-judge court convened under the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) ordered California to submit a flexible plan to reduce its prison population to 137.5% of design capacity within two years, potentially resulting in tens of thousands of releases; California appealed.