Thelton E. Henderson

Three years after ruling that the California prison health care system is broken, Henderson and two other judges may have the opportunity to fix it. In 2005, Henderson placed health care across the state's 33 prisons under control of the federal court. In November, he, District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton of Sacramento and 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Justice Stephen R. Reinhardt will preside over a trial to determine if overcrowding is causing the unconstitutional conditions in the health care system. The stakes are high - if the judges find overcrowding is the cause, they could order the release of prisoners.