⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Seventh Circuit hears John Tomkins's challenge to mail policies at the federal prison in Thomson, Illinois. Tomkins filed a habeas petition under section 2241 in June 2025, alleging that the policies violated the First Amendment and asking for an injunction. The public dismissal order does not describe the particular mail restrictions because the court ended the case before deciding whether they were constitutional. Under Glaus v. Anderson, it dismissed without prejudice—allowing a new filing—and told Tomkins to start over with a civil-rights suit governed by the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The procedural stakes include a five-dollar habeas filing fee versus four hundred five dollars for an ordinary civil action before fee relief, plus habeas's faster show-cause timetable. Tomkins will ask the Seventh Circuit to lift Glaus's categorical bar. The judges focus on whether an ordinary injunction suit already provides an adequate remedy, and whether the procedural differences justify changing circuit law.

John Tomkins v. Brian Lammer (No. 25-2275) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, argued September 11, 2026.