Cert. Petitions On Prison Grooming Rules

Yesterday a petition for certiorari (full text) was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in Jones v. Thompson.  In the case (decided as Knight v. Thompson), the 11th Circuit rejected several Native American inmates' RLUIPA challenges to Alabama prison system grooming rules that prohibit them from wearing long hair as required by their religion. The 11th Circuit held that the short-hair policy for male inmates is the least restrictive means of furthering compelling governmental interests in security, discipline, hygiene and safety. (See prior posting.) A cert. petition (full text) was filed last September in another unrelated case also raising the constitutionality of prison grooming policies-- Holt v. Hobbs. Whether or not to grant cert. in that case, involving a Muslim inmate, is on the calendar for the Court's Feb. 21 conference. (See prior related posting.) [Thanks to Douglas Laycock for the lead.]