Supreme Court rules against Rastafarian Landor's lawsuit over prison officials cutting his dreadlocks despite religious protections.

The Supreme Court's recent ruling has significant implications for religious rights in prisons. In a 6-3 decision, the court stated that Damon Landor could not pursue damages after Louisiana prison officials forcibly cut his dreadlocks, which he claimed violated his religious beliefs under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).¹²

The incident occurred in 2020 at the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, where Landor was serving a five-month sentence for drug possession. Despite presenting a court ruling that protected his right to maintain his dreadlocks for religious reasons, prison officials disregarded it, handcuffing him and shaving his head.³

Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, emphasized that RLUIPA does not permit lawsuits against individual prison officials unless they consent to liability, which they did not. He stated, “prisoners lack authority to sue without explicit congressional permission.”⁸

In dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized the ruling, arguing it undermines the purpose of RLUIPA, which is to protect prisoners' religious rights. She warned that the decision would make it more challenging for inmates to hold officials accountable for rights violations.

The state acknowledged Landor's mistreatment and indicated that it has revised its grooming policies to prevent similar incidents in the future. This ruling marks a rare instance where the conservative court has sided against a religious claim in a prison context.

Landor's case highlights ongoing tensions between religious freedoms and prison regulations, raising questions about the extent of protections afforded to incarcerated individuals.