The Supreme Court is set to rule on a case concerning a former Louisiana inmate, Damon Landor, who is seeking damages from prison officials for forcibly shaving his dreadlocks despite his Rastafari beliefs.
Driving the news: Lower courts have condemned Landor’s treatment but stated that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) does not allow him to sue officials for damages in their individual capacities.
- Landor, backed by the Trump administration, hopes that the Supreme Court will rule in his favor, enabling him and other inmates to seek compensation for violations of their religious liberty rights.
The big picture: The case is scheduled to be considered during the next annual term of the Supreme Court, with oral arguments likely to take place in late fall or winter and a decision expected by the following summer.
- This case follows a prior unanimous decision in 2020 where the Supreme Court ruled that RLUIPA’s sister statute, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA), allows for damages suits, although RFRA only applies to the federal government.
- RLUIPA is specifically targeted at protecting religious rights in land regulations and prisons, allowing for substantial burdens on religious exercise only if the government demonstrates a compelling interest and uses the least restrictive means.
- Landor’s attorneys argue that denial of a damages remedy under RLUIPA undermines the law’s purpose, while the Louisiana attorney general’s office believes RLUIPA does not provide the pathway for the damages sought by Landor.
