Choctaw County v. Jauch

Following her indictment by a grand jury, Jessica Jauch was arrested and put in jail for ninety-six days before she was brought before a judge or had counsel appointed or bail set. Shortly after being brought to court, Ms. Jauch was released and the prosecutor dismissed the case. The Fifth Circuit held that prolonged pretrial detention without access to a court violates the Fourteenth Amendment, Choctaw County was liable because it had a policy of holding pretrial detainees for prolonged periods without access to the judicial system, and the Sheriff was not entitled to qualified immunity because the relevant law was clearly established. After the County and the Sheriff filed a petition for certiorari, Public Citizen joined counsel for Ms. Jauch to prepare the brief in opposition. On December 10, 2018, the Court denied certiorari.