Trendpills
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a landmark religious freedom case involving a Rastafarian man, Damon Landor, who is suing Louisiana prison officials for forcibly cutting his hair. The case, Landor v. Louisiana, will address whether institutionalized individuals can seek monetary damages from staff who violate their religious rights.
In 2020, with only three weeks left on a five-month sentence, Landor was transferred to the Raymond Laborde Correction Center, where guards cut off the dreadlocks he had maintained for nearly 20 years as a sacred part of his Rastafarian faith. For Rastafarians, dreadlocks are a spiritual commitment, and Landor’s attorneys argue that shearing them was a profound religious desecration.
The central legal question is not whether Landor’s rights were violated, but what recourse he has. The dispute revolves around the interpretation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), a federal law designed to protect the religious practices of inmates. While RLUIPA allows for injunctive relief, federal courts are divided on whether it permits lawsuits for monetary damages against officials in their individual capacities. Landor’s legal team contends that without the possibility of personal financial liability, there is little deterrent for officials who commit irreparable violations of an inmate's religious freedom.
The case has drawn attention from an unusually broad coalition of religious and civil rights groups, including both conservative and liberal organizations, who have filed briefs supporting Landor. They argue that allowing damage claims is essential to ensure that RLUIPA offers meaningful protection. Many court observers anticipate that the Supreme Court, which has shown a strong tendency to protect religious expression, may be receptive to Landor's claim. A decision is expected by the end of the court's term and could significantly strengthen the enforcement of religious rights in correctional facilities across the country.
