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County Jail in Oklahoma Accused of Coercing Detainees to Convert to Christianity by The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Madison, Wisconsin, claims that it received a complaint from a community member in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, that the local sheriff’s office was promoting religion in …
SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments on Rastafarian Hair-­Cutting Case by Michael Thompson by Michael Thompson Damon Landor is a devout Rastafarian who grew his hair for decades without cutting it as part of his “Nazarite Vow.” Accordingly, his hair had grown long enough to reach nearly to his knees by the …
Class Certified in Challenge to Mailed Book Ban at Indianapolis Jail by Chuck Sharman by Chuck Sharman On June 13, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana granted class certification to a complaint filed against the Marion County Sheriff, alleging that there is a de facto …
Arkansas “Jailhouse Attorney” Secures Return from Retaliatory Transfer Out of State by Chuck Sharman by Chuck Sharman In a settlement reached on October 22, 2025, the Arkansas Department of Corrections (DOC) agreed to repatriate a state prisoner shipped to a federal lockup in West Virginia, restoring his job upon return …
Missouri Blocks Spiritual Advisors from Prison Pastor’s Execution by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott On October 14, 2025, at around 6 p.m. in the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, Lance Shockley, 48, was executed by lethal injection after Governor Mike Kehoe (R) denied him clemency. The state …
Brief • September 3, 2025
Landor v. Louisiana Dept of Corrections, LA, Amicus Brief, Religious Practice, 2025 No. 23-1197 IN THE Supreme Court of the United States ________________ DAMON LANDOR, Petitioner, v. LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND PUBLIC SAFETY, ET AL., Respondents. ________________ ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR …
$95,000 Paid to Nevada Prisoner Denied Muslim Prayer; Pending Cases Allege Continued Discrimination Against Non-Protestants by Chuck Sharman On December 6, 2024, two Nevada prisoners filed notices as interested parties in the religious discrimination case of a third, Said Elmajzoub. By that point, he had won a $95,000 settlement from …
Wiccan Nevada Prisoner Wins 18-Year Fight for Religious Items by Clark Nelly On November 13, 2024, Nevada prisoner Anthony Thomas Chernetsky finally secured what he had fought over 18 years to get from the state Department of Corrections (DOC): Permission to use natural anointing oils and build a sweatlodge to …
Ninth Circuit Reinstates Religious Exercise Claim from Arizona “Christian-Israelite” Prisoner Denied Passover Meal by Michael Thompson In 2017, a prisoner describing himself as a “Christian-Israelite” was denied access to his Arizona prison’s Passover meal after the unit chaplain challenged his religious beliefs. Michael Ray Fuqua was incarcerated at the Arizona …
Article • June 1, 2025 • from PLN June, 2025
$100,000 Settlement Reached For Tennessee Detainee Baptized to Get Out of Traffic Ticket by Boris Bastidas On August 16, 2024, the federal court for the Eastern District of Tennessee approved a settlement agreement that left Hamilton County on the hook for $100,000 to the estate of Shandie M. Riley, whose …
Fifth Circuit Reinstates Baha’i Texas Prisoner’s Dietary Claim by Matthew Clarke On September 11, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated a summary judgment dismissing a prisoner’s claim that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) refused to provide him a diet that conformed to …
Article • May 1, 2025 • from PLN May, 2025
Eleventh Circuit Revives Volunteer Pastor’s First Amendment Claim at Georgia Jail by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney A volunteer minister took a dustup with Georgia jailers over baptism to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which agreed on September 16, 2024, that he had been subjected …
Muslim Prisoners Face Price-Gouging by A fair amount of ink has been spilled about the high cost of items sold in prison commissaries. From honeybuns to deodorant, it’s all exorbitantly expensive, especially in light of the low wages prisoners are paid. But one often overlooked aspect of commissary pricing is …
Article • January 15, 2025 • from PLN January, 2025
Fourth Circuit Revives West Virginia Prisoner’s RLUIPA Claim Over Religious Diet with Soy He Can’t Digest by On March 20, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed dismissal of an Islamic prisoner’s federal civil rights lawsuit accusing West Virginia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) …
Article • January 15, 2025 • from PLN January, 2025
Ninth Circuit Greenlights Muslim Hawaii Prisoner’s Challenge to Early-Served Ramadan Meals by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney On February 5, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a grant of summary judgment to Defendant Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) officials accused by prisoner Dewitt …
Muslim New York Prisoner’s Free Exercise of Religion Claim Reinstated by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On May 15, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed summary judgment on a New York prisoner’s First Amendment free exercise claim while also affirming a jury’s verdict …
Article • January 15, 2025 • from PLN January, 2025
Lawsuits by Michigan Prisoner Yield $57,750 in Settlements, Plus Policy Changes by In a letter received in August 2024, Michigan state prisoner John Patrick Moore II notified PLN about three successful lawsuits he filed against the state Department of Corrections (DOC) which resulted in settlement agreements. In an important case, …
Article • November 15, 2024 • from PLN November, 2024
Fifth Circuit Revives Texas Prisoner’s Suit Alleging Interference With His Muslim Religious Practice by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On April 11, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found error in a lower court’s judgment for Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) officials in a …
Eighth Circuit: Perfect Adherence to Burdened Beliefs Not Required to Demonstrate Sincerity under RLUIPA by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney On November 2, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc, does not require …
Article • June 1, 2024 • from PLN June, 2024
Atheist Chaplain Attends Atheist Oklahoma Prisoner During Execution by In the final hours before Oklahoma killed Phillip Hancock on November 30, 2023, he was attended by a chaplain, like almost all condemned prisoners. Unlike most though, Hancock was an atheist. So was his chaplain, Devin Moss. As the last minutes …
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