Supreme Court Rules Inmate Cannot Sue Prison Officials Over Forced Shaving of Dreadlocks

In a significant decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a former Louisiana inmate is barred from seeking monetary damages from prison officials who forcibly shaved his dreadlocks, an act he contended violated his Rastafarian religious beliefs.

By a 6-3 margin, the nation’s highest court determined that Damon Landor, the former prisoner, cannot hold individual officials liable under federal religious freedom protections. The justices concluded that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), enacted by Congress in 2000, does not extend to allow lawsuits against state employees in their personal capacities.

The ruling saw the conservative majority side against Landor, while the three liberal justices issued a dissent.

The incident dates back to 2020, while Landor was incarcerated on drug-related charges. During that time, correctional officers handcuffed him to a chair and shaved his head, despite his protests that doing so would infringe upon his Rastafarian faith.

Speaking to USA Today, Landor expressed the profound personal impact of the incident, stating that his dreadlocks are “a part of me and part of who I am.”

“So when they cut off my hair, they cut off my crown,” he remarked. For followers of Rastafarianism, maintaining uncut and uncombed hair in the form of dreadlocks serves as a vital symbol of spiritual growth and religious devotion.

In the court’s opinion released Tuesday, Justice Neil Gorsuch explained that while RLUIPA applies to local correctional facilities that accept federal funding, it does not authorize legal action against individual staff members.

“Under the Spending Clause, Congress lacks regulatory authority to impose liability on them directly and must depend instead on consent,” Gorsuch noted.

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