The State - News from May 23, 1985

A federal appeals court refused to block a judge’s order telling the state to improve conditions in lockup cells at San Quentin and Folsom prisons. Although a state lawyer said that the meaning of the three-sentence ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is not clear, a lawyer for prisoners in the 12-year-old suit called it a “magnificent victory.” The action requires state prison officials to “get on with the job” of cleaning up overcrowded, dirty cells in which 2,000 inmates of the two prisons spend nearly all their time, said attorney Sanford Rosen. Deputy Atty. Gen. John Herbert said state officials would have no comment until they studied the ruling. The state could seek a stay from U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist.