The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a former Louisiana inmate cannot sue prison officials who forced him to shave his dreadlocks in violation of his Rastafarian beliefs.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court said inmate Damon Landor was not entitled to monetary damages under the federal religious freedom law because it does not apply to private public officials.
The justices said that when Congress passed the Religious Land Use and Institutions Act (RLUIPA) in 2000, officials did not agree to file lawsuits in their individual capacities.
The ruling marks a departure from a series of recent Supreme Court rulings in which the justices have generally supported religious freedom claims.
In 2020, while Randor was serving time on drug-related charges, police handcuffed him to a chair and shaved his head after they claimed it was violating his religious rights as a Rastafarian.
In a statement to USA Today, Landor said her dreadlocks are “part of who I am and who I am.”
“So when they cut off my head, they also cut off my crown,” he said.
Growing uncut, uncombed hair with dreadlocks is a symbol of devotion and spiritual growth for Rastafarians.
In Tuesday’s opinion, the conservative justices ruled against Landor, while the three liberal justices ruled against.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that RLUPIA, which applies to local prisons that receive federal funding, does not allow for legal challenges to individual officials.
“Under the Spending Clause, Congress has no regulatory authority to directly impose liability and must instead rely on consent,” Gorsuch wrote.
In a dissenting opinion, liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the goal of RLUIPA is “to ensure that state and local prisons respect inmates’ right to practice their religion.”
