Supreme Court Upholds Decision in Rastafarian Prisoner’s Religious Hair Removal Case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal in a landmark case involving a Rastafarian man who was forced to have his hair shaved against his religious beliefs. The ruling reinforces a lower court’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit, citing limitations in the legal framework governing religious discrimination claims by incarcerated individuals.

Damon Landor, whose faith mandates the growth of uncut dreadlocks, challenged state prison officials in Louisiana after guards forcibly shaved him during a 2020 transfer to a correctional facility. The case centered on whether the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 allows individuals to seek monetary damages from public officials for violations of religious rights.

In a 6-3 opinion, the court upheld the 2023 dismissal by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which determined that the statute does not permit claims against individual prison guards for financial compensation. Landor’s legal team argued the lack of a damages remedy fails to deter institutional abuse, but the justices disagreed, with three liberal judges dissenting.

Landor, who had grown his hair over 20 years, was restrained and shaved while in custody at Louisiana’s Raymond Laborde correctional center. He later stated the experience felt “like I was raped,” a sentiment echoed in court filings. The ruling highlights ongoing tensions between institutional policies and religious freedoms, as the law in question permits protections against discriminatory practices but does not extend liability to individual officials.

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