Howard Friedman, Religion Clause

In Scarpinato v. Indiana State Prison, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 122795 (ND IN, Sept. 12, 2016), an Indiana federal district court dismissed an inmate’s complaint that he was not allowed to have a Bible in his cell during periods he was in segregation.

In Thomas v. Lakin, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 123182 (SD IL, Sept. 12, 2016), an Illinois federal district court allowed a Muslim inmate to move ahead with claims that jail authorities denied his request for a copy of the Qur’an, a prayer mat, religious worship services, and a religious diet.

In Hanson v. New Hampshire State Prison Literary Review Commission, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 123935 (D NH, Sept. 12, 2016), a New Hampshire federal district court adopted a magistrate’s recommendation (2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 123936, Aug. 17, 2016) and dismissed an inmate’s complaint that he was not allowed to receive a package containing the religious book The Shaolin Grandmasters’ Text, and a non-religious book, Sailing a Serious Ocean, sent along with it.

In Gayle v. Harmon, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124565 (ED PA, Sept. 13, 2016), a Pennsylvania federal district court, dismissing a case, held that restrictions on attending religious services for those in administrative segregation are rationally related to a legitimate penological interest.

In Stocking v. Semple, 2016 Conn. Super. LEXIS 2210 (CT Super. Ct., Aug. 10, 2016), a Connecticut state trial court dismissed an inmate’s complaint that he was continually denied access to religious services.

In Aiello v. West, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124739 (WD WI, Sept. 14, 2016), a Wisconsin federal district court allowed a Jewish inmate to move forward with his RLUIPA challenge to the ban on inmate-led group religious services, but dismissed plaintiff’s 1st Amendment challenge to that ban as well as his challenges relating to availability of ritual foods for the Passover seder and to changes in the kosher meal menu.

In Munson v. Butler, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124817 (SD IL, Sept. 13, 2016), an Illinois federal district court dismissed a Buddhist inmate’s complaint that he was not able to receive a low soy lacto-ovo vegetarian diet.

In Beamon v. Dittmann, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124879 (ED WI, Sept. 14, 2016), a Wisconsin federal district court upheld a prison’s ban on Nations of Gods and Earths material despite plaintiff’s claim that his beliefs were derived from various religious traditions.

In Salgado v. NYS Department of Corrections & Community Supervision, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126659 (WD NY, Sept. 14, 2016), a New York federal magistrate judge recommended that a Muslim inmate be allowed to proceed with his complaint that he was not allowed to wear his Dihk’r prayer beads outside of his cell.