Washington, D.C. — Federal Court Blocks Supermax Transfers
A federal judge has temporarily stopped the Trump administration’s plan to relocate 20 former federal death row prisoners to the nation’s most high-security prison, ruling the proposed transfers likely violate constitutional due process protections. The legal decision blocks the Bureau of Prisons from moving the inmates to ADX Florence — often referred to as the federal “Supermax” facility — while a lawsuit progresses.
Judge Cites Due Process Concerns in Ruling
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly issued a preliminary injunction late Wednesday, finding that the government’s decision appeared predetermined and failed to provide inmates a meaningful opportunity to contest their reassignment. The judge underscored that even individuals convicted of serious crimes retain Fifth Amendment rights, and the process used to designate their new prison placements must meet constitutional standards.
According to court filings, officials signaled early in the review that the inmates should be sent to the Supermax prison as a punitive measure, a conclusion Kelly found incompatible with fair administrative procedures. The decision keeps the inmates in their current facility in Terre Haute, Indiana, for the time being.
Background: Sentence Commutations and Trump Administration Policy
The dispute stems from actions taken in late 2024, when then-President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 federal inmates to life imprisonment. Shortly after returning to office in 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to house those individuals in facilities “consistent with the monstrosity of their crimes,” setting the stage for transfers to the Colorado super-maximum security prison.
Government lawyers have argued that the Bureau of Prisons has broad discretion in assigning inmates to appropriate facilities for security and safety. However, the judge noted that the review process appeared to lack genuine consideration of individual inmate circumstances, a key factor in due process analysis.
What Happens Next
The lawsuit will continue to unfold in federal court, with the preliminary injunction remaining in effect for now. Legal experts say the ruling could influence how federal authorities handle high-profile prison redesignations in the future, especially where constitutional rights are implicated.
