In Copeland v. Livingston, (5th Cir., March 13, 2012), the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an inmate's challenge to his 6-month ban from prison religious gatherings after he caused a disturbance by refusing to leave a Muslim meeting in the prison chapel. It also dismissed his challenge to the monitoring or religious meetings and the presence of Christian symbols in the chapel.
In Golden v. Cates, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30901 (ED CA, March 8, 2012), a California federal magistrate judge dismissed, with leave to amend, a prisoner's complaint that he has been denied a kosher meal and required to work on the Sabbath.
In Washington-El v. Beard, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30489 (WD PA, March 7, 2012), a Pennsylvania federal district court dismissed an inmate's complaint that his requests for a copy of the Koran and his requests to participate in Islamic congressional meetings and services were rejected. His claim under RLUIPA was dismissed with prejudice, but he was given an opportunity to file an amended complaint as to his 1st Amendment free exercise claim. The magistrate's recommendation in the case is at 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30482 (Feb. 3, 2012).
In Lenhart v. Pennsylvania, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30447 (WD PA, March 7, 2012), a Pennsylvania federal district court dismissed, with leave to amend as to some defendants, plaintiff's claim that as a pre-trial detainee he was denied access to a Catholic priest. The magistrate's recommendations in the case are at 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30444 (Jan. 12, 2012).
In Collman v. Skolnik, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29986 (D NV, March 6, 2012), a Nevada federal district court adopted a magistrate's recommendations (2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30011, Jan. 26, 2012), and permitted a death row inmate to proceed with a number of his claims regarding delay in allowing him clergy visits from clergy of the Philadelphia Church of God (PCG), audio monitoring of these visits initially, delay in allowing him a full immersion baptism and failure to recognize PCG as a faith group.
In Williams v. Roberts, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30468 (ND NY, March 7, 2012), a New York federal district court adopted a magistrate's recommendations (2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153917, Dec. 15, 2011) and dismissed an inmate's claims that he was wrongfully disciplined for not complying with count procedures because at the time he was engaged in prayer as required by the tenets of the Nation of Islam.
In Ramon v. Dretke, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31428 (ED TX, March 8, 2012), a Texas federal district court adopted a magistrate's recommendation (2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31522, Jan. 3, 2012) and dismissed an inmate's complaint that when he sought access to a Catholic priest, the prison chaplain told him it would take too much time to arrange for a priest to assist him with partaking of the sacraments. Plaintiff has now been transferred to a status that permits attendance at religious services.
In Knight v. Thompson, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31288 (MD AL, March 8, 2012), an Alabama federal district court adopted a magistrate's recommendations (set out in Limbaugh v. Thompson, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153964, July 11, 2011) and dismissed claims of Native American inmates that that state policies restricting inmate hair length violate RLUIPA.
In Durbin v. Cain, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32159 (MD LA, March 8, 2012), a Louisiana federal district court adopted a magistrate's recommendation (2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31882, Feb. 16, 2012) and dismissed a Jewish inmate's claim regarding refusal to allow him to celebrate Jewish holidays, but permitted him to proceed with his complaint that he was transferred to a prison outcamp where he is limited in his ability to practice his religion and meet together with members of his faith.
In Smith v. Cain, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32144 (MD LA, March 8, 2012), a Louisiana federal district court adopted a magistrate's recommendation (2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31876, Feb. 14, 2012) and referred back for an evidentiary hearing an inmate's petition to withdraw a previous settlement of a claim against prison officials that he was forced to listen to religious programming on the prison radio and TV network and that the Establishment Clause was violated when a Baptist Bible College was established on prison grounds. Plaintiff claims he signed the prior settlement agreement under physical threats from the warden.
In Mohamad v. Smith, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32478 (WD PA, March 12, 2012), a Pennsylvania federal magistrate judge recommended dismissing an inmate's constitutional and RLUIPA claims that his kufi was wrongfully removed for the taking of his inmate ID photo.
In Ruiz v. Adamson, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32971 (ND IL, March 8, 2012), an Illinois federal district court allowed an inmate to proceed with various claims stemming from the prison chaplain's refusal of his request to change his religious designation to House of Yahweh and to receive a kosher diet.
