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Court for Northern Dist. of Cal.","timeline":[{"event":"Argued","dates":[184917600],"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_timeline\/case_timeline\/32238"},{"event":"Decided","dates":[203576400],"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_timeline\/case_timeline\/32239"}],"lower_court":{"ID":5,"name":"United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/taxonomy\/term\/5"},"facts_of_the_case":"\u003Cp\u003ESeven prisoners in the custody of the California Department of Corrections sued the United States District Court for the Northern District Court of California and alleged the manner in which the California Adult Authority determined the length and conditions of punishment for convicted criminal offenders violated their right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. The defendants argued that two sets of documents, the Adult Authority files and the Prisoners\u2019 files, which contained personal information, were irrelevant, confidential, and privileged information that should not be admissible into evidence. The district court ordered the production of the documents; however, the court limited the number of people associated with the prisoners who could examine those documents and only allowed access to the counsel and no more than two investigators designated by the counsel. The defendants filed a writ of mandamus requesting that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacate the decision to compel discovery, but the appellate court denied the petition because the prisoners had no absolute privilege that would allow them to avoid production of the documents at issue. However, the petitioners were allowed to have their request for in camera review, or private review, considered.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","question":"\u003Cp\u003ECan a writ of mandamus be issued when prisoners suing the district court wish to have the petition for discovery vacated?\u003C\/p\u003E\n","conclusion":"\u003Cp\u003ENo. Justice Thurgood Marshall delivered the opinion for the 8-0 majority. The Court held that since less extreme alternatives for modification of the challenged discovery orders were available, the writ of mandamus was inappropriate. A writ of mandamus should only be issued in extraordinary circumstances when there are no other adequate means to secure relief. In this case, adequate alternatives existed, such as the prison officials\u2019 opportunity to assert a separate privilege more specifically and have their request for in camera review considered.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJustice John Paul Stevens took no part in the consideration or decision of this case.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","advocates":[{"advocate":{"ID":33925,"name":"Karl S. Mayer","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/karl_s_mayer","view_count":0,"last_name":"Mayer","roles":null,"thumbnail":null,"length_of_service":0,"identifier":"karl_s_mayer"},"advocate_description":"for petitioners","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_advocate\/case_advocate\/10324"},{"advocate":{"ID":17439,"name":"B. E. 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