Supreme Court Sides Against Rastafarian Inmate

A Louisiana inmate whose dreadlocks were forcibly shaved off by guards cannot sue over the incident, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. In a 6–3 decision, the justices said Damon Landor, a Rastafarian, cannot seek money damages under a federal law meant to protect the religious rights of people behind bars, reports NBC News. Landor was handcuffed to a chair and had his head shaved in 2020 at Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, despite showing officers a court ruling saying cutting a Rastafarian's dreadlocks would violate religious rights. The court didn't dispute that he was wronged, notes the Washington Post, with the ruling centered only on whether he could seek financial restitution.

The state previously acknowledged the guards' mistake and says its grooming policy has since been revised to protect Rastafarian prisoners. But Louisiana argued—and lower courts agreed—that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act doesn't let inmates collect damages from state officials. Landor's lawyers had urged the court to extend a 2020 ruling that allowed damages under a related law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but the majority declined to do so. The ruling is a departure from the current court's track record of siding in favor of religious liberties, notes USA Today.