Written by Don Byrd
On October 7, the issue of religious freedom will be back in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. In Holt v. Hobbs, the issue is whether the grooming policy of the Arkansas Department of Corrections violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) in barring a prisoner from growing a beard in accordance with his religious beliefs.
The recently announced date means the Court will hear arguments in the case on just the second day of the next term beginning this fall.
For a little more background on the case, see my earlier post here. The Baptist Joint Committee filed a brief with the Court arguing the state failed to adequately justify its refusal to accommodate the request of a Muslim inmate for the right to wear a 1/2-inch beard. You can see the BJC’s resource page on Holt v. Hobbs here.
