In the California prison litigation, Judges Lawrence Karlton and Thelton Henderson issued an order for a three-judge district court, Don Thompson reports for AP. Congress has provided that only a special three-judge panel can issue a prisoner release order. The panel will consist of two district judges and one circuit judge, designated by Chief Judge Mary Schroeder of the Ninth Circuit. The process is governed by the Prison Litigation Reform Act available here. A decision of the three-judge district court is appealable directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.