Recent Prisoner Free Exercise Cases

In Nunez v. Wertz, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 142825 (MD PA, Sept. 1, 2017), a Pennsylvania federal district court permitted a Muslim inmate to move ahead with his complaint that his rights under RLUIPA were violated when he was not permitted to wear his pants with legs rolled up to expose his ankles, except during religious services.In Riley v. Franke, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 142971 (ED WI, Sept. 5, 2017), a Wisconsin federal district court dismissed a Muslim inmate’s claim that a correctional officer engaged in religious discrimination by dropping his Ramadan meals on the floor.In Troutman v. Mutayoba, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 144100 (SD IL, Sept. 6, 2017), an Illinois federal district court allowed an inmate to move ahead with his complaint that authorities refused to provide him with a diet consistent with his Native American religious beliefs.In Thomas v. Pingotti, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 144173 (ND NY, Sept. 6, 2017), a New York federal district court allowed a Muslim inmate to move ahead with his claim that during his keeplock confinement he was not allowed to attend Jum’mah services,  or the prayer and festival to break Ramadan.In Gambino v. Payne, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 144337 (WD NY, Sept. 1, 2017), a New York federal magistrate judge in a suit brought by an inmate who was in the process of converting to Judaism recommended dismissing his complaint that showers with inadequate privacy violated his free exercise rights, but allowed him to move ahead with his claim against certain defendants that he was purposely served contaminated kosher meals which defendants refused to replace.In Meza v. California Department of Corrections