Story perspectives

Supreme Court Bars Prison Abuse Lawsuit Under RLUIPA

6/23/2026

Center

Supreme Court Blocks

The Court held the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act provides no private right of action against prison staff.
On June 23, 2026 the Supreme Court ruled former inmate Damon Landor cannot sue Louisiana prison officials for monetary damages.
In 2020 guards handcuffed Landor to chair and shaved dreadlocks at Raymond Laborde Correctional Center.
Justice Neil Gorsuch argued RLUIPA, enacted via the Spending Clause, forbids suits against non-consenting officials.

Right

Supreme Court Dreadlocks

The Court still faces 12 pending cases, including challenges to President Donald Trump’s firing powers.
The Supreme Court ruled that a Louisiana prison cannot be sued for cutting a Rastafarian inmate’s dreadlocks.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the 6-3 majority opinion, joined by John Roberts and five colleagues.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, warning decision leaves prisoners without a remedy for religious-rights violations.

Blindspot

Center coverage gave more weight to the incident, naming inmate Damon Landor and noting guards handcuffed him and shaved his dreadlocks at Raymond Laborde.
Center coverage emphasized the Court’s view that RLUIPA does not create a private right of action against individual prison officials, which the Right summary omitted.

History

Historical Context

In 1990 the Supreme Court’s Employment Division v. Smith barred the Native American Church’s peyote use, prompting Congress to pass the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 1993 and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act in 2000, which extended protections to inmates. Citing that RLUIPA precedent, Justice Neil Gorsuch’s 2026 ruling denied Damon Landor’s suit, leaving thousands of prisoners without federal relief.

1 of 4

Supreme Court Blocks

The Court held the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act provides no private right of action against prison staff.
On June 23, 2026 the Supreme Court ruled former inmate Damon Landor cannot sue Louisiana prison officials for monetary damages.
In 2020 guards handcuffed Landor to chair and shaved dreadlocks at Raymond Laborde Correctional Center.
Justice Neil Gorsuch argued RLUIPA, enacted via the Spending Clause, forbids suits against non-consenting officials.

1 / 4