Burns v. PA Department of Corrections

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

• holding that inmates in disciplinary hearings are not entitled to procedural due process because the resulting sanctions do not affect a protected liberty interest
• holding that “inmate’s right to procedural due process is violated when a hearing examiner simply fails to view available evidence to determine its relevance and suitability for use at a disciplinary hearing.”
• observing that “due process requires that the evidence be produced unless the hearing officer makes an independent determination that the evidence is not relevant”
• noting that inmates’ interests must be balanced against the unique institutional concerns of prisons, including maintaining order and safety
• holding that an inmate has a due process right to “‘present documentary evidence in his defense when permitting him to do so will not be unduly hazardous to institutional safety or correctional goals’” (quoting Wolff v. McDonnell, 418 U.S. 539, 566 (1974))
• explaining that “inmates are generally not entitled to procedural due process in prison disciplinary hearings because the sanctions resulting from those hearings do not usually affect a protected liberty interest”

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).