Michael Cohen's Book Case: Supreme Court Says No

Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, has lost his final attempt to sue his former boss. The Supreme Court recently dismissed Cohen's claim that Trump and other officials violated his rights by putting him in solitary confinement. This punishment was due to Cohen's plan to write a tell-all book about Trump. Cohen was serving time for various charges related to his work with Trump. He was initially on home confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic but was sent back to prison after refusing to sign a form that restricted his communication with the media and social media. After 16 days in solitary confinement, a federal judge ordered his release, stating that officials had retaliated against him for exercising his free speech rights. Cohen then sued Trump and other officials, seeking damages for the alleged violation of his constitutional rights. However, the Supreme Court has made it extremely challenging to sue individual federal officials for constitutional violations. A recent case, Egbert v. Boule, has further limited these types of lawsuits, known as Bivens claims. Unless Congress steps in to change the law, there are few ways to hold federal officials accountable for unlawful acts. Cohen's warning that Trump might continue such actions if re-elected highlights the ongoing concern about the limitations of the current legal system.