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Recently Available Prisoner Free Exercise Cases

By Howard M. Friedman

In Thaxton v. Strode, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 68588 (WD KY, Sept. 9, 2008), a Kentucky federal district court upheld a prison's policy of permitting non-Muslim inmates to attend Muslim religious sevices only after attending an inmate-run Muslim familiarization program. The policy was challenged by an African-American inmate who listed his religion as Jewish.

In Soder v. Williamson, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 68513 (MD PA, Aug. 7, 2008), a Pennsylvania federal district court held that neither the 1st Amendment nor RLUIPA were violated when an inmate's religious objections to taking a TB test were accommodate by giving him a chest X-ray after holding him in segregated confinement for 24 days.

In Hankins v. NYS Department of Correctional Services, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 68978 (ND NY, March 10, 2008), a New York federal magistrate judge recommended dismissal of a Muslim prisoner's complaint that on one occasion authorities erroneously refused to allow him to take a "purification" shower and then participate in a weekly Muslim religious service.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on September 14, 2008 (boomark / email).