The Supreme Court recently ruled on a case involving Damon Landor, a Rastafarian inmate in Louisiana, who sought to sue prison officials after they forcibly shaved his dreadlocks, which he claims violated his religious beliefs.
Landor had been serving a five-month sentence for a drug-related offense when he was transferred to the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center. He had maintained his dreadlocks for nearly two decades as part of his religious practice. Despite presenting a federal appeals court ruling that protected his right to keep his hair long, prison officials disregarded it and shaved his head.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Landor could not sue the prison officials personally under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). The majority opinion, authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, stated that RLUIPA does not allow for lawsuits against individual prison employees, as they did not consent to such liability when Congress enacted the law.
The ruling raises concerns about the accountability of prison officials regarding the religious rights of inmates, potentially leaving them without legal recourse for violations of their rights.
Left-leaning perspective
Left-leaning perspective
Left-leaning perspective
Left-leaning perspective
Left-leaning perspective
Left-leaning perspective
“Prisoners like Landor who suffer violations of their religious freedom in state prisons — no matter how blatant — will often be left remediless.”
“Mr. Landor’s case cannot proceed against them any more than a breach of contract action might proceed against a defendant who never formed a contract.”
“Religious liberty is deeply important, and Louisiana has laws on the books protecting it.”
“If there is no remedy for such a transgression, then there is no justice. This ruling will further erode critical civil rights protections of the far too many incarcerated people in this country.”
“Once again, we see a court that will bend over backward for the religious freedom of Christians, but allows the government to trample the religious freedom of non-Christians.”
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