⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Seventh Circuit hears Josiah Clark's challenge to Cook County Jail's wheelchair policy. Another detainee beat Clark with a removable wheelchair arm, injuring him. Clark sued jail officials, and the district court granted summary judgment, ending his case without a trial. The appeal focuses on whether the sheriff's wheelchair policy made the local government responsible for that attack. This is a Monell claim: the government's own policy or custom must cause a constitutional injury. Clark's lawyer will ask for a jury trial, pointing to sixteen documented incidents involving wheelchair parts used as weapons. The district judge found that officials had tested alternatives and balanced safety against disabled detainees' medical needs. The disputed standard is deliberate indifference—consciously disregarding a known or obvious risk to constitutional rights, not merely making a careless decision. The defense lawyer will contend that officials' response was a reasoned safety decision, not deliberate indifference.

Josiah Clark v. Officer Perry (No. 25-2595) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, argued September 18, 2026.