Howard Friedman, Religion Clause
In Smith v. Murphy, 2017 Conn. Super. LEXIS 4974 (CT Super., Nov. 28, 2017), a Connecticut trial court dismissed an inmate’s complaints that his religious oils and his gold chain and cross were placed in temporary storage; however the court allowed him to move ahead on his claim that his oils were wrongly classified as contraband.
In Kollock v. Beemer, 2017 Pa. Commw. Unpub. LEXIS 883 (NPA Commnw. Ct., Nov. 39, 2917), a Pennsylvania state appeals court rejected an inmate’s claim that the sex offender treatment program required for parole forces him to admit guilt in violation of his religious convictions by forcing him to bear false witness against himself.
In Riddick v. Department of Corrections, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 211696 (WD VA, Dec. 26, 2017), a Virginia federal district court dismissed an inmate’s complaints that his request for Passover participation and food were not processed, was denied the Common Fare diet, and was not permitted to celebrate both Passover and Ramadan.
In Leibelson v. Collins, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 212026 (SD WV, Dec. 27, 2017), dismissed the claim by a former inmate who is a transgender woman that her rights were infringed when she was removed from chapel which she was attending. She attended so she could spend time with another inmate with whom she was having intimate relations.
In Orozco v. Kernan, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 212146 (ED CA, Dec. 26, 2017), a California federal magistrate judge dismissed with leave to amend a Jewish inmate’s complaint that Jewish inmates are spread out among institutions so that none of the locations have ten men for a prayer minyan.
In Monroe v. Gerbing, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 212172 (SD NY, Dec. 27, 2017), a New York federal district court allowed a Muslim inmate to move ahead with his complaint that during Ramadan, his medications were delivered during fasting hours.
In United States v. Parson, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 213201 (D NE, Dec. 29, 2017), a Nebraska federal district court ordered an inmate to submit to tuberculosis testing, rejecting his claim that this impermissibly violates his religious rights.