Two prisoner religion case were decided by the federal district court for the Western District of Wisconsin on May 26:
In Meyer v. Farrey, a prisoner claimed that for 3 months he was unable to attend Native American religious activities because his name had been left off the prison’s religious services list. The Court held that if the omission was merely because of negligence, he has no First Amendment claim. It also dismissed three of the defendants from the suit, finding that there is absolute immunity for persons who merely make recommendations for the disposition of inmate complaints.
In Henderson v. Berge, the court rejected a prisoner’s complaint that the cable television package to which the prison subscribed included the Judeo-Christian oriented Sky Angel Trinity television channel, but not channels devoted to other religious beliefs. The court found no Establishment Clause violation.
