Prisoner's First Amendment Trial Begins

Mark Jordan wants to share his thoughts with the world.

The problem is, Jordan is an inmate at Supermax, the nation's most secure federal prison and home to such well-known prisoners as Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski and Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.

Prison regulations have prohibited inmates from acting as reporters or publishing under a byline because of security concerns.

Jordan argued that the rule isn't applied consistently. Some prisoners have been published without getting in trouble; others, himself included, have been disciplined.

So in a case that could have implications for other federal prisoners, Jordan filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the rule violated his First Amendment rights.

Rocky Mountain News