The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a bid by Michael Cohen to revive a lawsuit accusing his former boss Donald Trump and various former federal officials of returning him to prison in 2020 in retaliation for penning a book critical of Trump, who was president at the time.
Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer, had appealed a lower court's dismissal of his suit, which sought monetary damages from Trump, former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, federal prison officials and the federal government.
Cohen's suit accused them of violating his rights under the U.S. Constitution by restricting his free speech and subjecting him to an illegal seizure and cruel and unusual punishment.
Cohen's lawyer Jon-Michael Dougherty said the Supreme Court's decision "signals a dangerous moment in American democracy."
"In denying Michael Cohen's petition, the Supreme Court has stated that the courts will not provide any deterrent for an executive intent on incarcerating its critics in retaliation for their speech," Dougherty said.