US top court says Rastafarian man cannot sue prison guards who cut his dreadlocks

June 23, 2026

The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that a former Louisiana prisoner cannot seek monetary damages from individual prison officials who forcibly cut his dreadlocks despite his Rastafarian religious beliefs. Damon Landor was serving time in 2020 when guards restrained him and shaved his head at Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, even after he explained his religious objections and provided legal precedent supporting his rights. The conservative majority determined that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act does not permit lawsuits against individual state employees for damages, only requiring state compliance when accepting federal funding.

Who is affected

Damon Landor, the former Louisiana inmate and Rastafarian whose dreadlocks were forcibly cut
Prison officials at Raymond Laborde Correctional Center who cut Landor's hair
Current and future prisoners in state institutions who may experience religious freedom violations
Rastafarians and other religious practitioners in the US prison system

What action is being taken

No explicit ongoing actions are described in the article. The ruling has been issued and the case has been decided.

Why it matters

This ruling significantly limits prisoners' ability to hold individual prison officials accountable for religious freedom violations in state institutions, potentially leaving inmates without effective legal recourse when their religious rights are violated. The decision represents a departure from recent Supreme Court trends favoring religious liberty claims and creates different standards between federal and state prison systems regarding individual liability for religious freedom violations.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC