In Riley v. Beard, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 83445 (MD PA, July 29, 2011), a Pennsylvania federal district court rejected prison officials' motion for reconsideration and permitted a Muslim inmate to proceed with his claims that his rights were violated when dates he used to break the Ramadan fast were confiscated from his cell.
In Lacey v. Braxton, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84313 (WD VA, Aug. 1, 2011), a Virginia federal district court dismissed claims by an inmate who was a member of the House of Yahweh that his religious books and his tallit were wrongfully confiscated.
In Shepherd v. Fisher, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84110 (SD NY, July 27, 2011), a New York federal district court refused to permit a Rastafarian prisoner to amend his complaint to charge the deputy superintendent with denying him specially requested religious meals on holy days.
In Henry v. Schriro, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84883 (SD NY, Aug. 2, 2011), a New York federal district court dismissed a Jewish inmate's claim for $9.999 billion in damages for denial of his request for matzoh and grape juice.
In Cardew v. Bellnier, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84949 (ND NY, Aug. 2, 2011), a New York federal district court adopted a federal magistrate's recommendations (2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143515, Dec. 9, 2010) and dismissed inmates' challenge to prison rules that called for consideration of ethnic and religious backgrounds in determining double celling assignments. The court also dismissed plaintiffs' claims that authorities violated their 1st Amendment rights and rights under RLUIPA by serving all inmates meals without red meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent.
In Florez v. McCormac, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85214 (D CO, Aug. 3, 2011), a Colorado federal district court dismissed on statute of limitations grounds an inmate's complaint that his Bible was confiscated and destroyed and he was unable to obtain a replacement Bible for 138 days. The court rejected the argument that the the limitations period had not run because this was a "continuing violation" of plaintiff's rights.
In Fricks v. Upton, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81373 (MD GA, July 26, 2011), a Georgia federal district court adopted a magistrate's recommendations (2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85071, April 14, 2011) and permitted an inmate to move ahead with his claim that his free exercise rights were infringed, though the magistrate judge expressed doubt that plaintiff's Church of Creativity qualifies as a religion.
In Grumbley v. Michigan, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85940 (WD MI, Aug. 4, 2011), a Michigan federal district court dismissed a Jewish inmate's complaint that his rights were violated when prison authorities would allow him to use a prayer shawl purchased with prison funds only if it was marked as prison property.
In Jernigan v. Atkins, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85773 (ND FL, Aug. 4, 2011), a Florida federal district court adopted a magistrate's recommendations (2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85879, June 30, 2011) and permitted a Muslim inmate to proceed against certain defendants with his claim that he was denied adequate food at times that would permit him to observe the Ramadan fast.
In Briley v. Cole, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 86345 (ED AR, Aug. 4, 2011), an Arkansas federal district court adopted a portion of a federal magistrate's recommendations (2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 86383, July 8, 2011), and dismissed an inmate's free exercise complaint, holding that occasional failure to provide plaintiff with a completely meatless meal did not substantially burden the practice of his religious beliefs.
In Romero v. Lappin, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 86435 (ED KY, Aug. 4, 2011), a Kentucky federal district court held that guards at a federal prison were protected by qualified immunity in both constitutional and RFRA damage claims alleging that they violated the religious rights of a Native American prisoner by removing a length of green string from his prayer feather.
