Supreme Court takes up case of Rastafarian man seeking to sue prison officials for cutting his dreadlocks
CBSN
Washington — The Supreme Court said Monday that it will consider a religious rights case brought by a former Louisiana inmate who is seeking to sue Louisiana prison officials for money damages for shaving his dreadlocks in violation of his religious beliefs.
The high court will review a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that said the former inmate, Damon Landor, could not seek monetary damages against the officials in their individual capacities under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or RLUIPA.
Landor is a devout Rastafarian who pledged to "let the locks of the hair of his head grow," known as the Nazarite Vow. Landor upheld that pledge for nearly 20 years, until he was nearly finished with a five-month prison sentence in Louisiana.
