Howard Friedman, Religion Clause

In Bausman v. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20213 (ED CA, Feb. 18, 2015), a California federal magistrate judge allowed a Native American inmate to move ahead with his complaint under RLUIPA that a change in regulations prohibiting possession of certain religious artifacts integral to participation in daily Native American cultural, traditional, ceremonial, and spiritual life substantially burdened his religious exercise.

In Blair v. CDCR, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20751 (ED CA, Feb. 20, 2015), a California federal magistrate judge dismissed a complaint of a Jewish inmate that his temporary placement with a cellmate who was Muslim violated his free exercise and RLUIPA rights.