Supreme Court Empowers Prison Guards to Violate Religious Rights with Impunity

5 hours ago

Damon Landor, a Rastafarian, had his dreadlocks forcibly shaved in prison despite informing officials of his religious beliefs and providing legal precedents protecting them.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Landor cannot sue individual prison officials for monetary damages under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), citing that Congress enacted it via the Spending Clause, which requires voluntary consent for liability.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, for the majority, argued that RLUIPA is like a contract between the government and prisons, so individuals like guards cannot be held liable, comparing it to breach of contract principles.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, stating RLUIPA is a law with enforcement mechanisms, not a contract, and that the ruling undermines Congress's ability to protect civil rights and religious freedoms through Spending Clause legislation.
The decision highlights a disparity in how religious rights are protected, with the conservative majority appearing to prioritize the interests of prison officials over those of incarcerated individuals, particularly from minority faiths like Rastafarianism.

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