Today in Supreme Court History: August 26

Aug 26, 2025
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Beltran v. Smith, 458 U.S. 1303 (decided August 26, 1982): imprisoned gangster, cooperating with prosecutors and in the Witness Protection Program, claims that he will be killed if transferred to another prison; Rehnquist denies stay of transfer order, no showing that program officials will fail to protect him (he served his time and afterward got back into gangs; in 2009 he was killed in shootout with police)

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