Johnson v. High Desert State Prison
Lower Court: Unknown • Last updated: March 2, 2026
Plain-Language Summary
The Supreme Court denied certiorari in Johnson v. High Desert State Prison, declining to hear a case about whether the poorest prisoners can split the $350 federal court filing fee when filing joint lawsuits. Federal law allows multiple plaintiffs to share the filing fee, but lower courts have split on whether prisoners proceeding in forma pauperis (as indigent litigants) can do the same.
Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justice Jackson, dissented from the denial, arguing the Court should have taken the case because the Ninth Circuit's ruling deepened a split among the federal appeals courts. Justice Kagan also would have granted review.
Why This Matters
This case highlights the barriers that incarcerated people face in accessing the federal court system. The unresolved circuit split means that whether poor prisoners can share filing fees depends on which part of the country they are in, creating an unequal justice system for some of the most vulnerable litigants.