Rastafarian Forcibly Shaved in Prison Wins Supreme Court Review

The US Supreme Court agreed to consider whether individuals whose religious rights have been violated can sue state officials for money damages.

On Monday, the justices agreed to take up the issue after the US solicitor general said the justices should resolve it.

The case involves Damon Landor, a Rastafarian who has vowed not to cut his hair for religious reasons. A prison official in Louisiana forcibly shaved Landor’s head, despite him previously receiving religious accommodations while incarcerated elsewhere.

“We emphatically condemn the treatment that Landor endured,” the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said. Still, the court ruled against his request for money damages.

The case ask whether money damages are permitted under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000. The act, which prohibits state officials from imposing a substantial burden on religion, has a companion law that applies to federal officials. In 2020, the court held that law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, does allow money damages against federal officials.

“No sound basis exists to reach a different conclusion with respect to RLUIPA,” the Trump administration told the court.

The case is Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety, U.S., No. 23-1197.