US EditionUS Supreme Court poised to reject Rastafarian man shaved bald in prison
- On Nov. 10 the Supreme Court heard whether Damon Landor can seek damages under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act after Louisiana prison officials cut his dreadlocks.
- Damon Landor maintained a Nazarite vow for nearly two decades and was serving a five-month sentence in 2020, transferred to Raymond Laborde Correctional Center for the final three weeks.
- Lower courts, including a federal district court in Louisiana and appeals panel, dismissed Damon Landor's individual-capacity damages claims after he sued the state, prison, and Warden Marcus Myers.
- A ruling would shape how the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act protects incarcerated religious rights and the remedies available, while the State of Louisiana argues personal-capacity damages raise Spending Clause and federalism concerns.
- During nearly two hours of oral arguments on Nov. 10, Justice Amy Coney Barrett called what happened to Damon Landor `egregious`, and a decision is expected by the summer.
77 Articles
77 Articles
Louisiana guards shaved a Rastafarian man's dreadlocks. Now he's before the Supreme Court.
WASHINGTON – While seemingly sympathetic to a Louisiana inmate having his dreadlocks shaved off against his religious beliefs, conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices asked questions that hinted they were skeptical he could sue the government to be compensated.
SCOTUS Seems Skeptical in Prison Dreadlocks Case
The Supreme Court sounded dubious Monday about letting a Louisiana inmate sue prison officials for cutting off his dreadlocks, a move he says violated his religious rights as a Rastafarian. Damon Landor had a month left in a five-month sentence for drug possession in 2020 when he was transferred to...
Supreme Court Seems Skeptical of Rastafarian’s Attempt to Sue Officers Who Shaved His Dreadlocks
The Supreme Court seemed divided but largely skeptical on Nov. 10 of a Rastafarian’s attempt to sue prison officials in their individual capacity for shaving his dreadlocks. Damon Landor has refused to cut his hair as part of what court papers describe as a “Nazarite vow.” But in 2020, a group of prison guards shaved his head despite a federal appeals court ruling that doing so would violate his rights under a law known as the Religious Land Use…
Court poised to reject Rastafarian man shaved bald in jail
The United States Supreme Court's conservative majority appears inclined to reject a Rastafarian man's bid to sue state prison officials in Louisiana after guards shaved him bald in violation of his religious beliefs.
The U.S. Supreme Court is examining on Monday the case of a former Rastafarian prisoner whose prison guards in Louisiana (south) have razed the dreadlocks.
Haircut in the High Court: How Justices Respond to Latest Religious Freedom Case
The Supreme Court heard a religious freedom argument Monday out of Louisiana concerning whether individual government officials may be forced to pay legal damages for violations of a primary First Amendment protection. In Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections, the court is considering whether a prisoner can sue a prison official in his personal capacity for damages under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, w…
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