COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Inmates and reporters have appealed a judge’s order that ended a lawsuit over a ban on face-to-face media interviews with prisoners convicted for their roles in Ohio’s deadly 1993 prison riot.
Federal Judge Edmund Sargus said earlier this month that the state prison system clarified the media policies that were criticized in the 2013 lawsuit by the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The lawsuit said the former system was inconsistent, especially when backgrounds of other high-security prisoners granted access to reporters are reviewed.
Attorney Ray Vasvari is representing those who challenged the ban. He Wednesday filed a notice of appeal to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The state is expected to oppose the move.
The 11-day siege left one guard and nine inmates dead.