The Maine Department of Corrections is violating at least two of three 35-year-o

The Maine Department of Corrections is violating at least two of three 35-year-old federal court orders that grant prisoners access to the press, allow them to write to newspapers, and prohibit prison officials from arbitrarily transferring prisoners out of state if they exercise their rights. Steven Rowe, Attorney General, said the two orders that deal with the press have not been superceded, but suggested they may no longer be legally binding. Orlando Delogu, University of Maine School of Law professor, disagrees, saying that a consent decree is valid unless modified or repealed by the court. With details on the 1972 lawsuits, mentioning Maine Sunday Telegram reporter Norma Jane Langford, attorney Neville Woodruff, and Pine Tree Legal Assistance