The U.S. Supreme Court rules against a former Louisiana inmate who says prison guards violated his Rastafarian religious beliefs by forcibly shaving off his dreadlocks. Damon Landor, a Rastafarian, brought a lawsuit seeking damages after guards handcuffed him to a chair and cut his hair in custody. The lower-court action is brought under a federal law intended to protect incarcerated people from religious discrimination. In a 6–3 decision, the Supreme Court bars the lawsuit, concluding that Landor cannot sue state prison officials for damages under the statute as applied to his case. The ruling follows arguments that the outcome depends on how the federal law allows claims and whether the claim requires the state to have consented to the type of relief sought. The three dissenting justices express disagreement with the majority’s interpretation and framing of prisoners’ religious rights. Multiple outlets describe the decision as aligning along ideological lines within the court, with the majority ruling on Tuesday and the dissenters criticizing the effect of the legal standard on civil-rights enforcement in prisons.
Supreme Court blocks Rastafarian inmate’s lawsuit over forcibly shaved dreadlocks
The U.S. Supreme Court rules against a former Louisiana inmate who says prison guards violated his Rastafarian religious beliefs by forcibly shaving off his dreadlocks. Damon Landor, a Rastafarian, br...
- The Supreme Court rules 6–3 that Damon Landor cannot sue Louisiana prison officials for damages over forced hair shaving.
- Guards handcuffed Landor to a chair and forcibly shaved his head while he was incarcerated.
- Landor says the shaving violated his Rastafarian religious beliefs and grooming practices.
- The case is brought under a federal law aimed at protecting incarcerated people from religious discrimination.
- The decision bars the lawsuit based on the court’s interpretation of the statute and the kind of legal remedy Landor sought.
The Rastafarian man argued his religious rights were violated after prison officials focibly shaved off his hair.
14 hours agoBy tying state prisoners’ religious rights to whether prison guards consented to federal legislation, the three liberal justices said their colleagues had transformed civil rights protections to “nothing more than the wheelings-and-dealings of an especially wealthy private party.”
14 hours agoIn a 6-3 opinion, the court says Louisiana prisoner cannot sue guards after he grew his hair for more than 20 yearsThe US supreme court refused on Tuesday to let a Rastafarian man sue state prison officials in Louisiana after guards held him down and shaved him bald in violation of his religious beliefs, in a landmark case.The case was brought under a federal law designed to protect incarcerated people from religious discrimination. Continue reading...
14 hours agoThe Supreme Court's conservative majority has ruled against a Rastafarian inmate whose dreadlocks were forcibly shaved by prison officials.
14 hours agoA Rastafarian inmate lost his dreadlocks and religious-liberty suit against Louisiana prison officials.
14 hours agoThe justices condemned what happened to the former inmate, Damon Landor.
14 hours ago
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