PETA Becomes Advocate For Buddhist Prisoner Seeing Vegetarian Diet

As those who follow Religion Clause's weekly summary of prisoner free exercise cases know, law suits over religious dietary accommodation arise in federal courts virtually every week. AP reported yesterday on a new organizational advocate that has dipped its toe into the fray.  Buddhist inmate Howard Cosby has been attempting to get a vegetarian diet for religious reasons at his Connecticut prison.  Prison officials insist on including fish three times per week in his meals.  So Cosby has enlisted the held of the animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).  As PETA explains in its release on the situation:

This week, PETA wrote to the prison in Cosby's behalf, pointing out that a) fish are not vegetables, as most of us learned in high school biology class, and that b) there is ample legal precedent for granting prisoners the right to vegan and vegetarian meals under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act....