No. 09-1233 IN THE Supreme Court of the United States ___________ GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, et al., Appellants, v. MARCIANO PLATA AND RALPH COLEMAN, et al., Appellees. ___________ Appeal from the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of California and the Northern District of California ___________ BRIEF OF APPELLANTS ___________ EDMUND G. BROWN JR. CARTER G. PHILLIPS* ATTORNEY GENERAL OF EAMON P. JOYCE CALIFORNIA TARA MIKKILINENI JAMES M. HUMES SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP CHIEF DEPUTY ATTORNEY 1501 K Street, N.W. GENERAL Washington, DC 20005 MANUEL M. MEDEIROS (202) 736-8000 STATE SOLICITOR GENERAL
[email protected] GORDON BURNS DEPUTY SOLICITOR GENERAL JERROLD C. SCHAEFER JONATHAN L. WOLFF PAUL B. MELLO ROCHELLE C. EAST S. ANNE JOHNSON SENIOR ASSISTANT SAMANTHA D. WOLFF ATTORNEYS GENERAL RENJU P. JACOB KYLE A. LEWIS HANSON BRIDGETT LLP DANIELLE F. O’BANNON 425 Market Street DEPUTY ATTORNEYS 26th Floor GENERAL San Francisco, CA 94105 455 Golden Gate Avenue (415) 777-3200 Suite 11000 San Francisco, CA 94102-7004 (415) 703-5500 Counsel for Appellants August 27, 2010 *Counsel of Record QUESTIONS PRESENTED 1. Whether the three-judge district court had jurisdiction to issue a “prisoner release order” pursuant to the Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”), 18 U.S.C. § 3626. 2. Whether the court below properly interpreted and applied Section 3626(a)(3)(E), which requires a three-judge court to find, by clear and convincing evidence, that “crowding is the primary cause of the violation of a Federal right; and … no other relief will remedy the violation of the Federal right” before issuing a “prisoner release order.” 3.