Fourth Circuit Federal Judges Named as Defendants in Appeal Challenging Alleged Three-Year Civil Imprisonment Left Uncorrected for Over a Decade Across Multiple Federal Court Proceedings
Publication of appellate briefing and video presentation filed in pending federal litigation Recording No. 25-2423 Chien v Giles et al., concerning alleged deprivation of liberty arising from civil proceedings without criminal charge, offense, or jury trial.
Publisher’s Note / Opening Statement
For more than a decade, litigation arising from a civil dispute has proceeded through multiple federal district and appellate courts without final correction of alleged constitutional violations involving the loss of personal liberty.
In the pending appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the appellant alleges that civil proceedings resulted in imprisonment lasting more than three years despite the absence of criminal charges, indictment, or jury trial. The appeal further names several federal judges as defendants, asserting that judicial review mechanisms failed over an extended period to remedy the alleged deprivation of due process.
This publication presents the complete appellate briefing together with a video presentation for four and a half minutes summarizing the factual record, procedural history, and constitutional questions raised in the case.
The issues presented extend beyond a single litigant and raise broader public questions:
Can imprisonment arise from civil litigation without criminal accusation?
What safeguards exist when judicial error is alleged to persist across multiple courts?
How should constitutional protections of liberty operate when proceedings continue for more than a decade?
The materials below are published to promote public understanding of ongoing federal litigation and the constitutional principles
Appellate Video Presentation
A visual summary of the Fourth Circuit appeal and procedural history.
Full Appellate Briefing
Defendants reply brief.
No-Secret-Inmate 