The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8–1 that a notice of appeal filed after a final judgment but before a case is reopened may serve as the operative filing once proceedings resume, eliminating the need for a second notice. The decision in Martin v. United States relaxes a technical deadline that has tripped up many self-represented litigants. Writing for the majority, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said lower courts improperly dismissed a West Virginia federal inmate’s suit challenging his segregated confinement over timing issues. The Institute for Justice, which represented the prisoner pro bono, hailed the ruling as a significant win for prisoners and other litigants who handle their own cases. Justice Neil Gorsuch dissented. In a separate opinion issued the same day, the Court prohibited prisoners from adding new claims to habeas corpus petitions after a final judgment, affirming strict statutory limits on repeat habeas filings.