Supreme Court upholds religious rights of prisoners

[cbayer]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/01/20/supreme-court-prisoner-beard-muslim-religion/19916823/

Richard Wolf, USA TODAY 11:01 a.m. EST January 20, 2015


AP

WASHINGTON -- A Supreme Court that has extended the reach of religion into public life in recent years ruled Tuesday that spirituality can overcome even prison security concerns.

The court came down decisively on the side of a Muslim prisoner whose beard had been deemed potentially dangerous by the Arkansas Department of Correction. Growing a beard, the justices said, was a Muslim man's religious right.

The unanimous opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, had been widely anticipated despite two lower court decisions upholding the state's no-beard policy.

"Hair on the head is a more plausible place to hide contraband than a half-inch beard, and the same is true of an inmate's clothing and shoes," Alito said. "Nevertheless, the department does not require inmates to go about bald, barefoot or naked."

more at link

[LiberalAndProud]

1. Could the prison require inmates to go about

bald, barefoot, naked and beardless without violating religious rights? Just wondering.

[cbayer]

2. Not sure what you mean.

[LiberalAndProud]

3. I think the court's decision in this case was a good one.

I just wonder if Alito might give prison officials some ideas.

[cbayer]

4. I think some of those would violate more than their religious rights.

[edhopper]

5. My guess is the prison singled out beards

or even this guy's beard and allowed long hair and other things.
Making this a case of discrimination. It would also be interesting to know if they made religious accommodations
to Christians, I'd guess they did.

[cbayer]

6. Prisons make a lot of religious accommodations.

Why they made such a big case out of this is not clear.

One of the issues that comes up, I think, is that not all requests of accommodation are genuine. I can see how that might get tiresome.

[edhopper]

7. I would guess it being Arkansas

the Muslim thing had something to do with it.

[cbayer]

8. I'd say that's a good bet.

They safety argument they made was extremely weak.

[edhopper]

10. It's like the asshole school superintendent

in Alabama who won't let the school history class see Selma because of "bad language".

[cbayer]

11. What a load. He used the term "racial profanity".

Do you even know what that means, because I sure don't.

BTW, the superintendent sends his four kids to a private christian school. I hope he gets voted out of office next go round.

[edhopper]

12. In Alabama

he's probably a hero.

[cbayer]

13. Only if you are just asking white people.

[edhopper]

14. True

the ones allowed to vote.
Maybe a movie about the plight of people discriminated against would be good for him to see.

[rug]

9. Good decision.