PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A federal court judge has ruled that a state prison inmate should get a trial in his lawsuit accusing Rhode Island prison officials of retaliating against him for criticizing prison policies.

Jason Cook protested Department of Corrections policies in 2007 that he said restricted how inmates’ friends and family could buy magazines and other publications for inmates.

The policy was dropped in April 2008.

The Providence Journal reports (http://bit.ly/yXauJR ) that Cook and the ACLU say he was dismissed from his job in the prison kitchen on a false charge, was subjected to punitive searches and locked in isolation.

Cook served time for breaking into a home and receiving stolen goods.

An agency representative did not immediately return a call on Sunday seeking comment.

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