SCOTUS Turns Blind Eye to SHU ‘Torture’ Case, Leaving Vanguard in the Lurch
Get Comfortable, Mr. Raniere
By Richard Luthmann
NOTE: This is a summary of a full article first published on Frank Report:
SCOTUS Turns Blind Eye to SHU ‘Torture’ Case, Leaving Vanguard in the Lurch
Keith Raniere, the notorious leader of the NXIVM cult, remains confined in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) at the USP-Tucson high-security federal penitentiary, with over 400 consecutive days in solitary or near-solitary conditions. This prolonged isolation follows the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision not to hear a case challenging the constitutionality of such extreme confinement practices.
The case, brought by former Illinois inmate Michael Johnson, questioned whether years of harsh solitary confinement constituted cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Despite a strong dissent from the Court's three liberal justices, none of the six conservative justices chose to intervene, leaving Raniere with little hope for legal reprieve.
Raniere's current experience in the SHU paints a grim picture: confined in a cell with minimal natural light, suffering from inedible food, no recreational access, and facing the mental anguish of prolonged solitude. His requests to return to the general prison population have been denied, despite his lack of consent for such severe isolation, deemed by many as a form of sadistic torture.
The United Nations has condemned SHU confinement exceeding 15 days as torture, a stance in line with the United States' commitment to the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Yet, with the Supreme Court's decision not to grant certiorari, lower courts now have significant leeway in interpreting what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, potentially leaving inmates like Raniere in a legal limbo.
BOP Director Colette S. Peters' assurances of addressing the misuse of SHU and ensuring inmates' rights contrast sharply with recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, where her lack of transparency and inability to address fundamental operational questions came under fire. This scrutiny of the Bureau of Prisons, the DOJ's largest law enforcement agency, highlights systemic issues within an organization grappling with crises ranging from staff misconduct to chronic understaffing.
You know Keith Branded “his”Women. Burning Hot Medal on skin. He trafficked several children out of Albany, NY. I lost my daughter at Albany Medical Center. So my ears popped up when I learned of the girl from the show “Smallville”, Allison Mackwho was the Driver of the Bus that picked up as many children as she could stuff on that Vehicle. They had just been on a Container Ship for days and Docked in LA at the Port. The Visions that I have of this process over and over and over until he got caught. When your Daddy is Seagrams himself (Mack’s). (Don’t quote me on that, they are related somehow) I’m sure that’s why he is still there. I didn’t know he was in SC. That’s ridiculous! Do not believe in that. Keith has a whole lot of information on Celebs! Look no further than the fake judge blonde on AGT. She was a groomer too. Along with Allison Mack. I can’t think of the other names! I’m interested to do some research now and find out why? Thank you 🙏