Braun v. Stearns County Jail

Background

Nathan Christopher Braun objected to Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz’s July 7, 2023 report and recommendation. The recommendation addressed six motions seeking various forms of relief:

- Three motions sought access to stationery, envelopes, and other supplies for preparing court filings and sending legal mail. - The other motions sought emergency handling, a temporary restraining order, or a preliminary injunction concerning alleged harassment by a jail officer and the alleged failure to provide a special religious diet.

Court’s analysis

The district court reviewed Braun’s objections de novo, meaning it considered the challenged matters independently rather than simply deferring to the magistrate judge’s recommendation.

For the first three motions, the court agreed that the requested relief was generally duplicative of relief sought in Braun’s complaint and that Braun had not shown an emergency need for the requested orders. The court rejected Braun’s argument based on alleged injuries to other detainees because a person representing himself in court may not represent the interests of other parties.

For the second group of motions, the court reviewed the pleadings and agreed with Judge Schultz that the alleged psychological harassment and religious-diet discrimination were not tied to the unlawful conduct asserted in Braun’s complaint. The opinion does not decide the ultimate merits of those underlying allegations.

Disposition

The court accepted the report and recommendation, overruled Braun’s objections, and denied the motions at docket entries 4, 5, 9, 12, 15, and 19. The order does not state that the motions were denied with or without prejudice.