Supreme Court rules against former inmate in lawsuit over religious rights

The Supreme Court ruled on June 23, 2026, that a former Louisiana inmate, Damon Landor, cannot sue prison officials for cutting his dreadlocks, which he claims violated his Rastafari religious beliefs. In a 6-3 decision, the justices stated that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act does not allow for lawsuits seeking monetary damages against individuals who violate inmates' religious rights. Justice Neil Gorsuch noted that the law does not authorize such lawsuits against individual officers. The ruling comes despite a dissent from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who argued that the decision undermines the incentive for prison officials to comply with federal law. Landor's treatment occurred during his five-month incarceration in 2020, where he initially had his religious beliefs respected until he was transferred to the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center. There, prison officials cut his dreadlocks after disregarding a previous court ruling on the matter. Following the ruling, Louisiana amended its prison grooming policy to prevent similar incidents in the future.