Written by Don Byrd
The Becket law firm yesterday announced the end of a lengthy dispute over the denial of kosher meals to Orthodox Jewish inmates in Texas’ prison system. Max Moussazadeh dropped his suit upon his release from prison after the state agreed to provide kosher meals to all Orthodox Jewish inmates.
The Star-Telegram reports:
“At least thirty-five states and the federal government have been providing a kosher diet for years,” Luke Goodrich, deputy general counsel at Becket, said in the news release after the court filing. “They have shown that the benefits of respecting religious freedom are worth far more than a few pennies per meal.”
…
Once the state began providing kosher food to all the state’s Orthodox Jewish inmates, Moussazadeh put the suit on hold until his release from prison. Finally, on Friday the 5th Circuit dismissed the case.
The lawsuit was brought under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), which among other things protects the religious freedom rights of inmates.
For more, see the Baptist Joint Committee’s RLUIPA resource page.
