Howard Friedman, Religion Clause

In Wilkinson v. Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, (11th Cir., July 15, 2015), the 11th Circuit vacated the district court’s dismissal of an inmate’s complaint that he was not permitted to observe two Santeria holy days.

In Moffat v. Department of Corrections, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90549 (D MA, July 13, 2015), a Massachusetts federal district court dismissed a Rastafarian inmate’s complaint that he was removed from the special religious diet list on two occasions after he failed to sign for his meals, but then was reinstated.

In Greene v. Cabral, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90548 (D MA, July 13, 2015), a Massachusetts federal district court permitted an Orthodox Jewish inmate to move ahead with his claim that prison authorities regularly fail to comply with kosher standards in the kosher meals they provide inmates.

In Fonseca v. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90644 (SD CA, July 10, 2015), a California federal district court dismissed a Jewish inmate’s complaint that his kosher meals do not contain sufficient meat.  The magistrate’s recommendation in the case is at 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90668, June 10, 2015.

In Muhammad v. Mathena, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91081 (WD VA, July 14, 2015), a Virginia federal district court dismissed an inmate’s complaint that he did not receive certain of his issues of the weekly religious periodical “Final Call,” and that other issues were delayed or delivered out of order.

In Abpikar v. Martin, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 93431 (ED CA, July 17, 2015), a California federal magistrate judge recommended dismissing an inmate’s complaint that while in administrative segregation, he was denied group daily worship with other Muslim inmates.