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“Be Christian or Be Penalized”: After Fourth Circuit Revives Muslim Prisoner’s Challenge, Virginia Jail Settles Suit for $30,000
by Douglas Ankney
On May 22, 2023, a $30,000 settlement was reached between officials with a Virginia jail and a Muslim prisoner who objected to its broadcasts of Christian religious programming, which he claimed violated the First Amendment prohibition against any government action “respecting establishment of religion.”
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More from this issue:
- “Frozen in Solitude’’: Heat-Sensitive Texas Prisoners Get More Than Air Conditioning Locked Inside Former Segregation Cells, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Four Hawaii Prison Guards Sentenced for Beating Prisoner – But One Wins Back-Pay, by David Reutter
- Sheriffs Offered Caribbean Cruises and Florida Retreats As Part Of Jail Telecom Contracts, by Hayden Betts
- $1 Million Settlement Reached After Detainee’s Suicide in Washington Jail, by David Reutter
- Arkansas Parole Board Denies Release to Sex Offender For Failure to Find Appropriate Housing, by David Reutter
- The Lecturer at the Lockup: Maine Prisoner Is First to Teach College Courses from His Cell
- Unyielding Pursuit of Justice or Unfulfilled Promises: Doubts Surround California Habeas Attorney
- After $300,000 Settlement for Detainee’s Death, Texas County Looks to Replace Jail
- LGBTQ+ Detainees at Rikers Island Suffer Under Mayor Adams, by Kevin Bliss
- $8.25 Million Verdict Against Former Colorado Sheriff for Detainee’s Sexual Assault During Jail Transfer, by Matthew Clarke
- Life Sentence for Alabama Jail Escapee After Suicide of Guard Lover Who Helped Him, by Chuck Sharman
- Calls for California Sheriff’s Department Oversight After Jail Deaths, $30,000 Settlement for Botched Traffic Stop
- Innovative Brazilian Prison Claims “Here the Man Enters, the Crime Stays Outside”
- Oregon Parole Hearing Exclusion Rule Invalidated, by David Reutter
- U.S. Marshals Pull Out of Virginia Jail After Two Escapes in One Day
- BOP Guard, Nurse in Virginia Indicted in Prisoner’s Death
- Government Watchdog Adds BOP to List at “High Risk” of Mismanagement, by Kevin Bliss
- Washington Supreme Court: Requiring Certificate of Merit for Medical Malpractice Suits Held Invalid
- Four Deaths in Seven Weeks at Pennsylvania Prison
- Two Dead and $4.675 Million Paid After Deputies’ Alleged Misconduct in California’s Sonoma County, by Casey Bastian
- Congress Forces BOP to Upgrade Security Cameras, by Mark Wilson
- Prisoner Health Update: Over-the-Counter Medications, by Eike Blohm, MD
- San Diego County Pays $4.35 Million After Jail Guards Failed to Stop Detainee From Blinding Herself, by David Reutter
- New York Prison System Found Liable for Failure to Protect Prisoner from Assault
- Insider Trading Charges Dropped Against JPay Founder, by Matthew Clarke
- Prison Ministry Sues Indiana Jail Over Book Ban
- Five Years After Limiting Personal Visits and Banning Mail, Drug Use Worse in Pennsylvania Prisons
- FBI Crime Report Lacking Data from Police Agencies Serving 25 Percent of U.S. Population
- At Massive and Corrupt Philippine Prison, Contraband Includes Jacuzzis and Horses, by Kevin Bliss
- Incarceration Increases Death Risk for Cancer Patients
- $120,000 Paid to Muslim Detainees for Discrimination by Maryland Jail, by David Reutter
- Oregon Will Hold Release Hearings for 73 Prisoners Sentenced to LWOP as Juveniles, by Mark Wilson
- Senators Slam “Egregious” Prisoner Sexual Abuse by BOP Employees, by Mark Wilson
- Federal Watchdog Finds BOP Staffing, Maintenance in Crisis
- Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Qualified Immunity for Delayed Transfer of Sex Offenders, by Mark Wilson
- Former BOP Employees Guilty of Assaulting a Prisoner and Taking Bribes at Troubled Federal Prison in Massachusetts
- Second Circuit Affirms $600,000 Punitive Damage Award to New York Prisoner Brutally Beaten by Guards, by Kevin Bliss
- Aramark Sparks Nevada Prison Hunger Strike, by Mark Wilson
- “Be Christian or Be Penalized”: After Fourth Circuit Revives Muslim Prisoner’s Challenge, Virginia Jail Settles Suit for $30,000, by Douglas Ankney
- HRDC Granted Injunction to End Censorship in Arkansas Jail, by David Reutter
- $50,002 Jury Award to Illinois Prisoner Retaliated Against for Daughter’s Facebook Posts, by David Reutter
- As e-Messaging Takes Off in U.S. Prisons, Complaints Over Service and Costs Multiply, by David Reutter
- Maryland Sheriff Charged with Illegally Procuring Machine Guns from ATF, by Kevin Bliss
- California Guard Charged with Raping 22 Prisoners
- Nevada Pays $75,000 for Religious Discrimination Claims of Prisoners in Episcopal and The Way Faith Groups, by David Reutter
- California Supreme Court Remands Guards’ Overturned Murder Convictions In Detainee Death At Santa Clara County Jail
- Former Connecticut Prisoner’s Challenge Proceeds Against “Pay-to-Stay” Fees
- Alabama Denies Parole to 90% of Eligible Prisoners
- No Summary Judgment for Private Transportation Company in Maryland Detainee’s Suit Alleging “Horrific” 2,000-Mile Journey, by Keith Sanders
- $5,000 Settlement for Warrantless Search of Pro Se North Carolina Prisoner’s Cellphone, by Matthew Clarke
- Challenge Survives to Maryland County’s Cash Bond Program, by David Reutter
- Shocking Video Footage Reveals Rampant Violence and Neglect in Los Angeles County Jails
- Oregon Governor Commutes All Death Sentences, by Mark Wilson
- Voting Rights Restoration for Virginia Ex-Felons Once Again Subject to Governor’s Whim, by Kevin Bliss
- Doctor Convicted of Sexually Abusing USA Gymnasts Is Stabbed in Prison Cell
- Solitary Confinement is a Catch-22 for Colorado Prisoners and a “Moral Injury” for Mental Health Workers
- Exasperated Federal Judge Issues Permanent Injunction to Arizona DOC in Healthcare Class-Action, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from Douglas Ankney:
- Pregnant Women Detained in Jail: The Hideous Story of In-Custody Births, May 1, 2026
- Idaho DOC Director Denies Verified Report of Rampant Sexual Abuse of Women Prisoners by Staff, May 1, 2026
- Illinois Jail Reprimanded for Denying Detainees Mail Based on Media Content, P.O. Box Return Address, Settles Detainees’ Suit with $111,825 Payment of Legal Fees, May 1, 2026
- Oklahoma Supreme Court: Jail Trust Cannot Withhold Requested Records under Law Enforcement Exemption of ORA, May 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Holds Prior California Child Pornography Conviction Does Not Trigger Federal Mandatory Minimum Because State Statute Encompasses Conduct Beyond Federal Definition Under Categorical Approach, April 1, 2026
- Kentucky Supreme Court Clarifies Parole Board May Delegate Final Revocation Hearings to Administrative Law Judges but Holds Due Process Requires Parolees Be Permitted to File Exceptions to ALJ Findings Before Board Renders a Final Revocation Decision, April 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals Holds Generic Physical Description Insufficient to Justify Pursuit in Mistaken Identity Case, and Suspect’s Flight Cannot Support Reasonable Suspicion Absent Evidence He Knew He Was Fleeing Law Enforcement, April 1, 2026
- Montana Supreme Court Holds Defendant’s Sentence Must Be Vacated Where District Court Premised Sentence on Defendant’s Exercise of Constitutional Rights to Jury Trial, Silence, and Against Self-Incrimination, April 1, 2026
- Fifth Circuit Holds Texas Sexual Assault of a Child Statute Sweeps More Broadly Than Federal SORNA Tier Offenses, March 1, 2026
- Delaware Supreme Court Announces Four-Part Plain Error Framework, Aligning Prejudice Standard With Federal Approach Requiring Reasonable Probability of Different Outcome, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- ACLU Threatens New Lawsuit After Indiana County’s Repeated Failures to Abide by 17-Year-Old Settlement Agreement, May 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Exercise, Sanitation, Bedding, Settlements.
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, April 1, 2026. Voting, Advocacy, Settlements, Voting Rights, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute.
- Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending, April 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Medical Records, Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides.
- $667,000 Awarded to Muslim Missouri Prisoners Pepper-Sprayed for Praying, April 1, 2026. Religious Discrimination, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Religious Practices, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- $300,000 Class-Action Settlement at California Jail Includes Policy Changes; Agreements with Aramark and Wellpath Reached Confidentially, March 1, 2026. Food, Sanitation, Settlements, Class Certification, Monell Liability.
- South Dakota Sobriety Program Participants Will No Longer Be Jailed for Non-Payment of Fees, March 1, 2026. Settlements, Class Certification, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, Unlawful Detention, Ability to Pay.
- $4,652 for Jewish Nevada Prisoner Denied Passover Meal, Jan. 1, 2026. Religious Discrimination, Food, Settlements, First Amendment, rights, Dismissal.
- HRDC Sues New Mexico County for Violating 10-Year-Old Settlement of Censorship Suit, Jan. 1, 2026. Settlements, Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, First Amendment.
- $4 Million Settlement Reached in Class Action Challenge to Conditions at Shuttered St. Louis “Workhouse” Jail, Dec. 1, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Jail Specific, Settlements, Class Certification.
- $6.49 Million Settlement for 600,000 Prisoners in Massive CorrectCare Data Breach Class Action, Dec. 1, 2025. Private Contractors, Medical Records, Damages, Settlements, Privacy Act/Rights.