U.S. Supreme Court lets inmate confined to filthy prison cells sue guards

FILE PHOTO: The Supreme Court of the United States is seen in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed a Texas inmate to pursue his claim against prison officials that his civil rights were violated by being locked up in cells with extremely filthy conditions.

The justices, in an unsigned opinion, set aside a lower court ruling that had found that prison officials were protected under a legal defense called qualified immunity from the claim in inmate Trent Taylor's lawsuit accusing them of violating the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.