Related
Translate
Advertisements *
Elsewhere
Get RNB via RSS
 |
RNB's RSS feed What is this? |
Get RNB via Email
 |
 Subscribe by Email What is this? |
Follow: Twitter
Most Popular
This Week:
- Guyana’s Jonestown suicide site gets plaque
- Gaddafi preaches Islam to Rome beauties
- Scientology practices ‘putting people at risk’
- Recession: Muslim schools in UK under threat of closure
- Australian senator tells Parliament of widespread criminal conduct within the Church of Scientology
- When a child dies, faith is no defense
- Techie Holy water and geeky bishops
- Muslim terrorists smuggle fatwas promoting Jihad out of secure UK prisons
- Israel Charges Extremist With Attempted Murder Of Messianic Family
- Scientology’s feet held to the fire in Australia: Struggle between a church and the state
Law Upheld Protecting Inmates Religious Rights
More articles on this topic: Religious FreedomABC7News.com, Dec. 27, 2002
http://abclocal.go.com/
Dec. 27 – BCN — A federal appeals court in San Francisco today upheld a 2 year-old U.S. law that protects the religious freedom of prison inmates and other people in institutions.
The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was made in a civil rights lawsuit originally filed in 1996 by a group of Muslim inmates at California State Prison, Solano.
In earlier rulings in the case, the inmates won a series of injunctions from a federal judge in Sacramento that shielded them from being penalized or losing work credits for attending religious services on Fridays.
After Congress passed the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, the Muslim prisoners added a claim under the new law to their lawsuit.
The law bars government entities from imposing a burden on the exercise of religion by people in institutions unless a compelling government interest is at stake. It applies to institutions that receive federal funding.
California prison officials then argued that the law is unconstitutional. Among other claims, the California officials contended the law exceeded Congress’ authority to set conditions on federal funding grants.
But a three-judge panel of the appeals court unanimously ruled that the law was within Congress’ powers because it promotes the general welfare.
Circuit Judge Dorothy Nelson wrote, “Protecting religious worship in institutions from substantial and illegitimate burdens does promote the general welfare.”
Nelson said the measure “follows a long tradition of federal legislation designed to guard against unfair bias and infringement on fundamental freedoms.”
The panel upheld a similar ruling by a federal trial judge in Sacramento.
What You Can Do From Here
|
Read More Articles On These Topics
 Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article
Subscribe
Read Another Article
 Previous entry: American Indian sues to allow peyote for Next entry: Four more clones due soon
RNB Homepage with latest headlinesFind Related Information
Find Related Books
|
Share This Article
To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:
