Sunday, February 03, 2019

Recent Prisoner Free Exercise Cases

In DeMarco v.Davis, (5th Cir., Jan. 28, 2019), the 5th Circuit allowed an inmate to proceed against one defendant on his complaint regarding seizure of his religious material.

In Williams v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12878 (D NV, Jan. 25, 2019), a Nevada federal district court allowed an inmate to move ahead with his claim that he was denied a food tray because he requested kosher food.

In Tormasi v. Lanigan, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13028 (D NJ, Jan. 28, 2019), a New Jersey federal district court allowed a inmate "independently engaged in Jewish self-practice" to move ahead with some of his claims growing out of the prison's denial of his request for a religious circumcision.

In Brooks v. Cape Girardeau County, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13847 (ED MO, Jan. 29, 2019), a Missouri federal district court dismissed an inmate's complaint that he has been denied a kosher diet.

In Barfell v. Aramark Correctional Services, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13945 (ED WI, Jan. 29, 2019), a Wisconsin federal district court dismissed an inmate's complaint that his request for vegan meals was not approved for 5 days.

In Weathersby v. Ituah, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15385 and Mitchell v. Ituah, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15769 (SD TX, Jan. 31, 2019), a Texas federal district court dismissed a Muslim inmate's complaint that on one occasion inmates were not told that an evening meal consisting of "Beenies and Weenies" contained pork.