Native American Inmates Petition Supreme Court Over Long Hair Denial

Written by Don Byrd
Inmates in an Alabama prison have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a policy that requires them to wear their hair short in violation of their Native American religious beliefs. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected their argument that the Department of Corrections policy runs afoul of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) by failing to consider alternate means of achieving their security goals.

Judge Orders FL Corrections Dept. to Offer Kosher Diet

Written by Don Byrd
Via Religion Clause, a federal judge in Florida granted a preliminary injunction yesterday ordering the State Department of Corrections to provide kosher meals to all inmates who request one according to sincerely held religious beliefs. In 2007, the state abandoned its kosher meals program and defends its right not to provide such meals. Following a lawsuit filed last year by the United States, however, the state initiated a pilot program to provide kosher meals, but only within strict guidelines designed to certify religious sincerity.

In issuing the injunction, the judge found the lack of a kosher offering likely violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), as do the many hurdles to a kosher diet in the state’s current pilot program, including the religious sincerity test that required applying inmates to demonstrate knowledge about their claimed faith.

Appeals Court: Prisoners Must Give Atheist Inmates a Fair Chance

Written by Don Byrd
On Friday, the 7th Circuit ruled that prison officials must treat fairly atheist prisoner requests for religious study groups dedicated to atheism. Overturning the trial court’s dismissal of the inmate James Kaufmann’s case, the appeals court said atheists must be given a chance to demonstrate there are enough of them to warrant creation of a group.