Opinion ID: 1614010
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Meaningful Access to the Courts.

Text: Finally, plaintiffs complain trial court wrongly found they were not deprived of meaningful access to the courts, in view of the fact they were not accorded various mechanical and legal supports. A number of these grounds find no support in the law. Access to the courts does not include a federally protected right to use a typewriter or to have one's pleadings typed. Twyman, 584 F.2d at 358; see Stubblefield v. Henderson, 475 F.2d 26, 26 (5th Cir.1973). Similarly, the constitutional concept of an inmate's right of access to the courts does not require that prison officials provide inmates free or unlimited access to photocopying machinery, particularly where there are suitable alternatives. Harrell v. Keohane, 621 F.2d 1059, 1061 (10th Cir. 1980); see Johnson v. Parke, 642 F.2d 377, 380 (10th Cir.1981). A more serious charge is that of inadequate library service. These parties agree that plaintiffs must be provided with access to a reasonably adequate law library for preparation of legal actions, or with adequate professional or quasi-professional legal assistance. Bounds, 430 U.S. at 828, 97 S.Ct. at 1498, 52 L.Ed.2d at 83; Simon, 297 N.W.2d at 209; Kelsey v. Minnesota, 622 F.2d 956, 957 (8th Cir.1980). The choice among various methods of access, of course, is not that of the prisoner. See United States v. Wilson, 690 F.2d 1267, 1271 (9th Cir.1982). Trial court apparently concluded plaintiffs had access to a reasonably adequate law library. Our de novo review of this ruling is crippled by several unfortunate procedural events. At hearing plaintiffs waived their right to present testimony after the court proposed, without protest from defendant's counsel, to accept the allegations in [plaintiffs'] Petition as true. The court's ultimate ruling seemed to proceed from an implied finding that certain quoted institution policies as of January 15, 1981 (a date subsequent to the date the petition was filed), provided adequate opportunity for access to legal materials. None of the material apparently submitted to the court was marked for identification. Much of it is not among the papers submitted with the record, including library requests made by plaintiffs, and replies by the institution, referred to in trial court's decision. In one such reply plaintiff Nowlin was advised that volume 3 of the 1979 Code (containing Iowa's criminal code) had been stolen for over six months. A fatal defect in the district court decision, however, was to shoulder plaintiffs with the burden to show they were not provided with access to a reasonably adequate law library. This burden is imposed on defendant. Storseth, 654 F.2d at 1352; Rich, 644 F.2d at 43; Buise, 584 F.2d at 228; Simon, 297 N.W.2d at 209. We find no recourse other than to remand this case to district court for a full evidentiary hearing to evaluate the adequacy of the library provided plaintiffs, see Noorlander v. Ciccone, 489 F.2d 642 (8th Cir.1973), unless upon hearing defendant can show some other avenues are available to provide plaintiffs with meaningful access to the courts. We have examined other contentions raised by both parties in their briefs and find them to be without merit. We remand for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion. REVERSED AND REMANDED.