No cohabitation for Kansas inmate, appeals court rules

A Kansas inmate on Thursday lost another appeal in his quest to “cohabitate and procreate” with another prisoner.

Joshua J. Robertson sued state prison officials for refusing his request for conjugal contact with Jennifer Self, 32, the woman he describes as his common-law wife.

She was his co-defendant in the 2002 killing of her mother, the crime for which both are serving life sentences in prison.

Robertson, 34, alleged in his suit that his First Amendment rights to freely practice his religious beliefs were being violated.

A federal judge and the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously dismissed the suit, finding that a prison inmate has no constitutional right to contact visitation.

Earlier this year, Robertson filed an additional appeal, alleging procedural flaws in how his case was previously handled.

The 10th Circuit on Thursday denied that appeal.

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 12:42 PM with the headline "No cohabitation for Kansas inmate, appeals court rules."