Settlement Restores Prisoner's Right To Preach

The ACLU of New Jersey announced yesterday that it has reached a settlement with New Jersey prison authorities under which officials will restore the right of a Pentecostal minister who is an inmate at New Jersey State Prison to preach at weekly services and teach Bible study classes. According to the complaint (full text) in Thompson v. Ricci, (D NJ, filed 12/3/2008), Howard Thompson, Jr. had been preaching in prison for over a decade when authorities suddenly imposed a ban on preaching by any inmate. The complaint alleged that this prevented Thompson from carrying out his religious calling in violation of the First Amendment and RLUIPA.