366
Opinion of Ginsburg, J.
than 150 percent of the hourly rate established under section 3006A of title 18 for payment of court-appointed counsel." 42 U. S. C. § 1997e(d) (1994 ed., Supp. III).
At issue here is whether § 803(d) governs post-April 26, 1996, fee awards in two lawsuits commenced before that date. In Glover v. Johnson, 478 F. Supp. 1075 (ED Mich. 1979), a class of female Michigan inmates filed an action under 42 U. S. C. § 1983 (1994 ed., Supp. III) against various Michigan prison officials (State) in 1977; the Glover plaintiffs alleged principally that they were denied vocational and educational opportunities afforded their male counterparts, in violation of the Equal Protection Clause. Ruling in plaintiffs' favor, the District Court entered a remedial order and retained jurisdiction over the case pending defendants' substantial compliance with that order. See Glover v. Johnson, 510 F. Supp. 1019, 1020 (ED Mich. 1981). Under a 1985 ruling governing fee awards, plaintiffs' counsel applied for fees and costs twice yearly. See Hadix v. Johnson, 143 F. 3d 246, 248 (CA6 1998).
In Hadix v. Johnson, a class of male Michigan inmates filed a § 1983 action against the State in 1980, alleging that the conditions of their confinement violated the First, Eighth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments. In 1985, the parties entered into a consent decree governing sanitation, health care, fire safety, overcrowding, court access, and other aspects of prison life. The District Court retained jurisdiction over the case pending substantial compliance with the decree. Plaintiffs' attorneys remain responsible for monitoring compliance with the decree. In 1987, the District Court entered an order governing the award of fees and costs to plaintiffs' counsel for compliance monitoring. See id., at 249.
Counsel for plaintiffs in both cases filed fee applications for compensation at the court-approved market-based level of $150 per hour for work performed between January 1, 1996, and June 30, 1996. See App. to Pet. for Cert. 27a, 33a. The
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