A Nebraska inmate went on his girlfriend's podcast. Then the prison cut off their contact.

Julie Montpetit didn't see it coming. Not her newfound passion for criminal justice reform, and certainly not her current predicament: blocked from talking to the man she loves, a man locked in prison thousands of miles away.

Her husband, Nicholas Ely, is suing several employees in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, alleging that the department cut off their means of contact after Montpetit launched a podcast that aims to destigmatize relationships like theirs. She interviewed Ely by phone for the first episode.

In his lawsuit, Ely - representing himself - alleges that departmen...