Last week we pointed to a letter published in the Baltimore Sun that was written by Dianne Davenport, a detainee at the Baltimore City Jail for Women. Her description of the treatment she and other women endure at the jail is horrific, and if you didn't read it last week, you should now, before it goes offline.

We are pleased to report that someone has listened to Dianne. U.S. District Judge Andre Davis today ordered all 570 of the women to be screened for illness within 24 hours. He also ordered the women of heightened risk from the excessive heat to be moved from the jail. Temperatures in the jail, built in 1859, have reached 110 degrees this summer.

Battling jails and prisons over conditions is tough duty. And Judge Davis' Order today was "a huge step," according to Raj Goyle, a Maryland ACLU attorney. Judge Davis also deserves credit for the swiftness of his ruling--the story first made the paper on August 1 when lawyers filed suit over the prison conditions. Dianne's letter appeared August 10, and today he made the ruling.