4 hours ago The US Supreme Court has ruled that a erstwhile Louisiana inmate cannot writer situation officials who forcibly shaved his dreadlocks successful usurpation of his Rastafarian faith, a determination helium argued violated his spiritual rights.
In a 6-3 ruling, the apical tribunal said the prisoner, Damon Landor, was not entitled to monetary damages nether a national spiritual state instrumentality arsenic it did not use to idiosyncratic officials.
The justices said authorities employees did not consent to look lawsuits successful their idiosyncratic capacities erstwhile Congress passed the the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) successful 2000.
Conservative justices ruled against Landor, portion 3 wide justices dissented.
In 2020, erstwhile Landor was serving clip for a drug-related charge, officers handcuffed him to a seat and shaved his caput aft helium argued it would interruption his spiritual rights arsenic a Rastafarian.
In a connection to USA Today, Landor said his dreadlocks are "a portion of maine and portion of who I am".
"So erstwhile they chopped disconnected my hair, they chopped disconnected my crown," helium said.
Growing uncut, uncombed hairsbreadth into dreadlocks is simply a awesome of devotion and spiritual maturation for Rastafarians.
In the sentiment connected Tuesday, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that RLUPIA, which applies to section prisons that person national funding, does not let for ineligible challenges against idiosyncratic officials.
"Under the Spending Clause, Congress lacks regulatory authorization to enforce liability connected them straight and indispensable beryllium alternatively connected consent," Gorsuch wrote.
English (US)·