Judge Stops Trump Sending Ex-Death Row Inmates to 'Alcatraz of the Rockies'
Source: Newsweek
PUBLISHED FEB 12, 2026 AT 02:26 AM EST UPDATED FEB 12, 2026 AT 05:39 AM EST
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from transferring former death row inmates to a notorious federal supermax prison in Colorado.
Why It Matters
The ruling is the latest development in the long-running legal fight over whether the Bureau of Prisons could transfer inmates to ADX Florence, sometimes known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” after former President Joe Biden commuted their sentences to life without parole in December 2024.
On this first day back in office, Trump signed a sweeping executive order to expand the death penalty. It directed the attorney general to evaluate the prison conditions of the 37 inmates whose death sentences were commuted to ensure they "are imprisoned in conditions consistent with the monstrosity of their crimes and the threats they pose.” Eight inmates were transferred to ADX Florence in September. At least 10 men had been transferred to the prison by December, NPR reported.
What To Know
In a 35-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly said Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi had dictated the decision to transfer the inmates to the ADX Florence before they could challenge it.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/judge-stops-trump-sending-ex-death-row-inmates-to-alcatraz-of-the-rockies-11509251
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