Supreme Court denies Rastafarian's lawsuit after he was forcibly shaved bald
Summary
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against a Louisiana Rastafarian man who wanted to sue prison officials for forcibly shaving his hair, which he said violated his religious beliefs. The court said the law does not allow prisoners to sue individual state employees for money damages in these cases.Key Facts
- Damon Landor, a Rastafarian, was shaved bald against his will while in a Louisiana prison.
- Landor argued this violated his religious rights, as he had not cut his hair for 20 years.
- The Supreme Court’s majority said prisoners cannot sue individual state prison officials for damages under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
- RLUIPA requires prisons receiving federal money to respect inmates’ sincere religious beliefs and allow them to sue for appropriate relief.
- Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that the law does not hold individual officials personally liable because they are not part of the federal funding agreements with states.
- The ruling was seen as a victory for states, which argued allowing such lawsuits could bankrupt them.
- Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan dissented, warning the ruling limits prisoners’ ability to seek justice for religious discrimination.
- Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill condemned the shaving but supported the court’s decision, saying the state is taking steps to prevent future incidents.
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