The Supreme Court appeared to lean against a devout Rastafarian trying to sue prison officials who cut off his dreadlocks during oral arguments for the case that lasted nearly two hours on Monday.
In 2020, Damon Landor was serving a five-month sentence for drug possession. According to The Associated Press, Landor continuously carried a copy of an appeals court ruling in another inmate’s case holding that cutting religious prisoners’ dreadlocks violated the federal law.
The first two places Landor was held respected his beliefs. But then he was transferred to the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center in Central Louisiana for the final three weeks of his term.
Court records state a prison guard took the copy of the ruling Landor carried and tossed it in the trash, and the warden ordered guards to cut his dreadlocks. While two guards restrained him, a third shaved his head to the scalp, said The Associated Press, citing court records.
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He later sued under a federal law meant to protect prisoners' religious interests after he was released.
According to multiple resources, Rastafarians believe that dreadlocks symbolize their faith and dedication to God based on biblical interpretations.
The conservative Supreme Court has reliably sided with religious interests in recent years, but that didn't appear to be the case during arguments on Monday. The court's three liberal justices seemed to be firmly on Landor's side of the case.
The six conservative justices signaled more concern with letting people sue individual state officials as a way to enforce federal spending laws. Several of the justices hinted that those individual state employees were probably not aware of state agreements in return for federal funding.
The Supreme Court will not decide whether Landor's head should have been shaved. Instead, the high court will decide on whether he can sue for monetary damages under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
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“Look, the facts of this case are egregious,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett said on Monday. But she noted all of the lower courts had ruled against Landor.
A decision in the case is expected next year.
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