Of the seven opinions written in 2010 to comment on why the Supreme Court did not hear a case, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote three of them, including one concerning the rights of an HIV-positive Louisiana prisoner, The New York Times reports. Anthony C. Pitre stopped taking his HIV medications to protest his pending facility transfer. Prison officials responded by forcing Pitre to perform hard labor in 100-degree heat, and consequently he was twice sent to the emergency room. Although the lower courts did not rule in favor of Pitre, Sotomayor wrote, “Pitre’s decision to refuse medication may have been foolish…but that decision does not give prison officials license to exacerbate Pitre’s condition further as a means of punishing or coercing him.”

To read the Times article, click here.