BJC: Supreme Court limits religious freedom
WASHINGTON – Today, the Supreme Court denied a person’s ability to receive monetary damages from individual corrections officers for an egregious violation of his religious freedom. The 6-3 decision in Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections said individuals may not be held liable in their personal capacities under a federal statute absent express consent for such a remedy. The case centered around Damon Landor’s religious freedom rights while incarcerated. A devout Rastafarian who took an oath to let his hair grow long, Mr. Landor showed prison officials a paper copy of a federal court decision upholding Rastafarian prisoners’ right to long hair. But the officials threw the decision in the trash, held him down, and forcibly shaved his dreadlocks.
Holly Hollman, chief legal officer for BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty), issued the following statement:
“We are disappointed in the Court’s decision, which narrows the relief available when prisons violate the religious freedom of those in their custody. Congress passed the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) in 2000 on a simple premise: religious freedom is for everyone. States and local governments accept federal money to run their prisons on the condition that they respect the religious rights of the people held there.
Both the lower court and the Supreme Court acknowledged that officials grossly violated Mr. Landor’s rights. Yet today the Court held that the statute’s promise of “appropriate relief against a government” does not allow money damages against the individual officers responsible — weakening prisoners’ ability to seek justice and to deter future violations.
BJC and our coalition partners will continue to defend RLUIPA and the religious freedom it guarantees for everyone.”
BJC joined a brief in this case supporting Mr. Landor alongside a number of groups that do not often see eye-to-eye on Supreme Court cases, including the Christian Legal Society, the ACLU, the Alliance Defending Freedom, and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. The brief noted that Mr. Landor is protected by RLUIPA, which demands that prison systems not impose substantial burdens on incarcerated individuals’ religious exercise without compelling justification.
(Baptist Joint Committee Press release; 6.23.26)READMORE>>>>>>
WASHINGTON – Today, the Supreme Court denied a person’s ability to receive monetary damages from individual corrections officers for an egregious violation of his religious freedom. The 6-3 decision in Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections said individuals may not be held liable in their personal capacities under a federal statute absent express consent for such a remedy. The case centered around Damon Landor’s religious freedom rights while incarcerated. A devout Rastafarian who took an oath to let his hair grow long, Mr. Landor showed prison officials a paper copy of a federal court decision upholding Rastafarian prisoners’ right to long hair. But the officials threw the decision in the trash, held him down, and forcibly shaved his dreadlocks.
Holly Hollman, chief legal officer for BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty), issued the following statement:
“We are disappointed in the Court’s decision, which narrows the relief available when prisons violate the religious freedom of those in their custody. Congress passed the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) in 2000 on a simple premise: religious freedom is for everyone. States and local governments accept federal money to run their prisons on the condition that they respect the religious rights of the people held there.
Both the lower court and the Supreme Court acknowledged that officials grossly violated Mr. Landor’s rights. Yet today the Court held that the statute’s promise of “appropriate relief against a government” does not allow money damages against the individual officers responsible — weakening prisoners’ ability to seek justice and to deter future violations.
BJC and our coalition partners will continue to defend RLUIPA and the religious freedom it guarantees for everyone.”
BJC joined a brief in this case supporting Mr. Landor alongside a number of groups that do not often see eye-to-eye on Supreme Court cases, including the Christian Legal Society, the ACLU, the Alliance Defending Freedom, and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. The brief noted that Mr. Landor is protected by RLUIPA, which demands that prison systems not impose substantial burdens on incarcerated individuals’ religious exercise without compelling justification.
(Baptist Joint Committee Press release; 6.23.26)READMORE>>>>>>
May 3, 2026:
Trump Day 468 NOTES & BYTES
Zorek
Trump Day 468:
--The Supreme Court’s ruling on Wednesday has given even more leeway to lawmakers to draw districts for their party’s benefit. And all of those developments have come against a backdrop of technological advances, with mapmakers able to identify Democratic and Republican voters down to the census block. (Reuters)
Trump Day 468:
--Donald Trump said on Saturday he had been told about the concept of a deal with Iran, but was waiting for the exact wording, while warning there was still the possibility of restarting strikes on the country if Tehran misbehaves. A senior Iranian official said on Saturday that an Iranian proposal so far rejected by Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. blockade of Iran while leaving talks on Iran's nuclear program for later.
Trump Day 468:
--U.S. travelers lamented news of the shutdown of Spirit Airlines, opens new tab on Saturday, saying that the closure of the ultra-low-cost carrier eliminates one of the few air travel options for low-income and working-class Americans. Spirit abruptly cancelled flights overnight, stranding passengers and staff around the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America, after collapsing under financial pressures that included a sharp rise in fuel costs due to the Iran war. (As President, Trump can now destroy othere peoples businesses and not just his own. )
Trump Day 468:
--Trump this week lashed out at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over his criticism of the Iran war, calling him "totally ineffective." On Friday, the Pentagon said it would cut 5,000 of the 36,400 troops it has stationed in Germany, and increase tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union, a move that will hit Germany hardest. (All because Trumps war was criticized)
--The Supreme Court’s ruling on Wednesday has given even more leeway to lawmakers to draw districts for their party’s benefit. And all of those developments have come against a backdrop of technological advances, with mapmakers able to identify Democratic and Republican voters down to the census block. (Reuters)
Trump Day 468:
--Donald Trump said on Saturday he had been told about the concept of a deal with Iran, but was waiting for the exact wording, while warning there was still the possibility of restarting strikes on the country if Tehran misbehaves. A senior Iranian official said on Saturday that an Iranian proposal so far rejected by Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. blockade of Iran while leaving talks on Iran's nuclear program for later.
Trump Day 468:
--U.S. travelers lamented news of the shutdown of Spirit Airlines, opens new tab on Saturday, saying that the closure of the ultra-low-cost carrier eliminates one of the few air travel options for low-income and working-class Americans. Spirit abruptly cancelled flights overnight, stranding passengers and staff around the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America, after collapsing under financial pressures that included a sharp rise in fuel costs due to the Iran war. (As President, Trump can now destroy othere peoples businesses and not just his own. )
Trump Day 468:
--Trump this week lashed out at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over his criticism of the Iran war, calling him "totally ineffective." On Friday, the Pentagon said it would cut 5,000 of the 36,400 troops it has stationed in Germany, and increase tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union, a move that will hit Germany hardest. (All because Trumps war was criticized)
“I’m a Never Trump guy.”….“My god, what an idiot.”…“He is America’s Hitler” -J.D. Vance before becoming VP Nominee.
April 30, 2026:
RANDOM NOTES & BYTES
Zorek
USA Today reported that after the Supreme Court on April 29 threw out a congressional map in Louisiana that had been drawn to protect the voting power of Black residents, the decision was criticized for undercutting the 1965 Voting Rights Act, though legal and political experts say it's unlikely to play much role in the 2026 midterm elections. An ideologically divided court sided 6-3 with the Trump administration and with the non-Black voters who challenged the map as relying too heavily on race to sort voters – and it did so just three years after upholding the 1965 Voting Right Act's vote dilution protections for racial minorities. Writing for the conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito called the map an "unconstitutional gerrymander" that violates the constitutional rights of the non-Black voters who challenged it. The decision had been hotly anticipated because it comes amid the biggest flurry of redistricting since the 1880s, between the customary 10-year Census popula tion counts. Most states have already held primaries for 2026 so the high court's decision is likely to be felt more in the 2028 presidential contest or in 2031, after the next Census. The decision could ultimately reduce the number of Black and Hispanic members of Congress and boost Republicans' chances of winning more seats in the U.S. House, where they have a thin majority. States now have a freer hand to change boundaries of voting districts at all levels of government. Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, called the decision "a devastating blow" and "a license for corrupt politicians who want to rig the entire system." Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act tries to prevent legislative map drawers from diminishing the voting power of racial minorities by either packing them into one district or spreading them out across too many districts to have an impact. (The racism of the right gets court protections..🙄)
"If taxation without consent is not robbery, then any band of robbers have only to declare themselves a government, and all their robberies are legalized." -- Lysander Spooner
Why America needs evangelicals on the Supreme Court — and more
Evangelicals are 23 percent of U.S. adults and one of the most loyal Republican voting blocs, with 81 percent backing Donald Trump in 2024. Yet despite six of the nine Supreme Court justices being appointed by Republican presidents, there are no evangelicals on the Supreme Court.This is just one of the many elite institutions in which evangelicals are absent or underrepresented. Evangelicals have excelled in politics, producing figures such as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). They are also prominent in well-run and profitable businesses with relatively low cultural impact, such as food processing (Tyson Foods) and retail (Hobby Lobby). But they are all but absent from the leadership of prestigious universities, major foundations, Big Tech companies, leading financial firms and large media companies. (Washington Post; 3.7.26)READMORE>>>>>>
Evangelicals are 23 percent of U.S. adults and one of the most loyal Republican voting blocs, with 81 percent backing Donald Trump in 2024. Yet despite six of the nine Supreme Court justices being appointed by Republican presidents, there are no evangelicals on the Supreme Court.This is just one of the many elite institutions in which evangelicals are absent or underrepresented. Evangelicals have excelled in politics, producing figures such as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). They are also prominent in well-run and profitable businesses with relatively low cultural impact, such as food processing (Tyson Foods) and retail (Hobby Lobby). But they are all but absent from the leadership of prestigious universities, major foundations, Big Tech companies, leading financial firms and large media companies. (Washington Post; 3.7.26)READMORE>>>>>>