Judge Blocks Transfer of Ex-Death Row Inmates to Harsh Federal Prison

Rejon Taylor, a former death row inmate, celebrates the ruling against the Trump administration's plan to move him and others to ADX Florence.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from transferring Rejon Taylor and 19 other former death row inmates to the notorious ADX Florence federal supermax prison in Colorado. Taylor, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, said the ruling was "like the joy of clemency all over again" and that he can "breathe again" and "relax" after worrying about the potential transfer.

Why it matters

The judge's ruling is a victory for the inmates, who argued that being sent to ADX Florence, known as the "Alcatraz of the Rockies," would violate their due process rights. Former President Joe Biden had commuted the death sentences of 37 federal inmates, including Taylor, to life in prison without parole. The Trump administration then sought to transfer the inmates to the harsh ADX Florence prison, which the judge said appeared to be a predetermined outcome to "punish them."

The details

The judge ruled that the government likely violated the inmates' Fifth Amendment rights by not providing them a meaningful opportunity to challenge their redesignation to ADX Florence. The judge said officials made it clear the inmates "had to be sent to ADX Florence to punish them, no matter what result the ordinary BOP process might have yielded." Attorneys for the inmates had argued that ADX Florence has "unmatched draconian conditions," while the government claimed the Bureau of Prisons has broad authority to determine inmate placements.

  • In December 2024, former President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row to life imprisonment without parole.
  • On his first day back in office in 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to ensure the commuted inmates "are imprisoned in conditions consistent with the monstrosity of their crimes and the threats they pose."
  • In September 2025, eight inmates were transferred to ADX Florence. By December 2025, at least 10 men had been transferred to the prison, according to NPR.

The players

Rejon Taylor

A former death row inmate who is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit fighting to stop the transfer of him and other commuted inmates to ADX Florence.

Timothy Kelly

A U.S. District Judge appointed by former President Trump who ruled to temporarily block the transfer of the former death row inmates to ADX Florence.

Pam Bondi

The former Attorney General who wrote on X in September that the Biden administration's commutations of death row prisoners were a "stain on our justice system" and that the "monsters" were being transferred to Supermax prisons.

David Fathi

The director of the ACLU's National Prison Project, who said the judge's decision ensures the clients "will not be subjected to extreme and irreversible harm before their Constitutional claims are heard."

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What they’re saying

“It was like the joy of clemency all over again. We had this celebratory mood, or exclamations...it was just like, yes, I can breathe again, I can relax.”

— Rejon Taylor (Newsweek)

“Judge Kelly's decision makes clear that the Trump administration cannot disappear people to the harshest prison in the federal system to score political points.”

— David Fathi, Director, ACLU National Prison Project (Newsweek)

“Plaintiffs have shown that it is likely that their redesignations were predetermined—and thus violated their due process rights—because officials with authority over BOP made it clear that they had to be sent to ADX Florence to punish them, no matter what result the ordinary BOP process might have yielded.”

— Timothy J. Kelly, U.S. District Judge (Newsweek)

What’s next

The judge's preliminary injunction blocks the transfer of the inmates to ADX Florence while the lawsuit proceeds. The inmates are currently incarcerated at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing legal battles over the treatment of federal inmates, particularly those whose sentences were commuted by a previous administration. The judge's ruling affirms that the government cannot arbitrarily transfer prisoners to harsh conditions as a form of punishment, even for those convicted of heinous crimes.