Crime & justice

Supreme Court to Review Rastafarian Inmate's Religious Rights Case

Published JUN 24 2025

Story

Above: The U.S. Supreme Court Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on Monday agreed to hear the case of Damon Landor, a former Louisiana inmate who seeks monetary damages from prison officials for forcibly shaving his dreadlocks in violation of his Rastafarian religious beliefs during his 2020 incarceration.
The Associated Press
The Hill
Landor had been growing his dreadlocks for nearly 20 years. But prison guards handcuffed him to a chair and shaved his head to the scalp during the final three weeks of his five-month sentence despite a 2017 ruling allowing Rastafarian inmates in Louisiana to keep their dreadlocks for religious reasons.
The New York Times
Deseret News
This case centers on whether the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) of 2000 allows inmates to sue individual prison officials for monetary damages, similar to its sister statute, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.
Courthouse News
SCOTUSblog
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals condemned Landor's treatment but ruled he could not seek damages from individual officials under RLUIPA, despite acknowledging he suffered a "grave legal wrong."
The Hill
CNN
The Trump administration filed a brief supporting Landor's petition, arguing that denying damages remedies would undermine RLUIPA's purpose of protecting religious exercise in prisons and other institutions receiving federal funds.
CBS News
The Hill
Louisiana officials acknowledged Landor's treatment violated Landor's religious freedom and amended their prison grooming policies. But they also argued that allowing individual damage suits could worsen prison staffing shortages and discourage job applicants.
CNN
The Hill

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

This is a critical test for religious liberty protections in America's prison system. Prison officials ignored a court ruling protecting religious rights and forcibly shaved Landon's sacred hair, violating the most basic principles of religious freedom. Without the ability to seek monetary damages, inmates have no meaningful recourse when their rights are trampled.

Harvard Law School

National Review

Narrative B

Although the treatment of Landor was wrong, expanding damage liability against individual prison officials threatens to cripple an already strained correctional system. Prison staffing shortages would worsen if guards faced personal financial liability for policy decisions, ultimately harming all inmates through reduced services and security.