United States First Circuit

Prison officials who ordered strip searches are not entitled to qualified immunity where the law was clearly established that people arrested for non-violent, non-drug related minor offenses could not be subjected to strip and visual body cavity searches absent reasonable suspicion that they were concealing contraband or weapons.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/11/2003
• Published 02/11/2003

Judges

• Before BOUDIN, Chief Judge, COFFIN and BOWNES, Senior Circuit Judges, TORRUELLA, SELYA, LYNCH, LIPEZ and HOWARD, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States First Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Gregory A. Belzley, with whom Dinsmore & Shohl LLP and Thomas W. Kelly were on brief, for appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Rebecca Tedford Partington, Deputy Chief, Civil Division, with whom Patrick C. Lynch, Attorney General, was on brief, for appellees.