The Supreme Court has ruled that a former Louisiana inmate, Damon Landor, cannot sue prison officials for cutting off his dreadlocks, which was in violation of his Rastafari religious beliefs. While the court acknowledged the wrongdoing, it determined that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act does not allow inmates to seek financial damages from individuals for religious rights violations.

The decision, made with a 6-3 majority, upheld lower court rulings that these laws do not financially penalize those who infringe on inmates’ religious rights. Despite a precedent from 2020 where Muslim men were permitted to sue under a related statute, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the justices did not extend the same rationale to Landor’s case. The Justice Department, which had presented arguments against similar plaintiffs during President Trump’s tenure, supported Landor in this instance.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, stated that the law concerning prisoners’ religious rights offers no provision for suing individual officers. In dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson expressed concern that this ruling gives state prison officials little reason to adhere to federal law. She emphasized the importance of Congress’s intent behind such legislation and the constitutional basis supporting it.

Landor’s ordeal began with respect to his beliefs when entering the prison system, but changed upon arriving at Raymond Laborde Correctional Center. His copy of a ruling that prohibited cutting religious prisoners’ dreadlocks was discarded by a guard. He was then forcibly restrained while his dreadlocks were cut, as per the warden’s orders. Upon release, Landor’s attempt to seek redress was dismissed by lower courts which noted the existing law’s limitations.

Following the controversy, Louisiana has amended its prison grooming policy to prevent similar situations. The Rastafari faith, originating in 1930s Jamaica, responds to colonial oppression with teachings drawn from the Old Testament and a focus on African roots. Prominent figures like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh were instrumental in spreading its message globally.