• The Supreme Court is set to hear a case concerning Damon Landor, a Rastafarian man whose dreadlocks were shaved in prison.
• Landor argues that this action violated his religious rights, seeking damages from prison officials under federal law.
• A lower court previously ruled that Landor could not sue individual officials for monetary damages.
• The case stems from Landor’s treatment during his imprisonment for a drug offense.
• The Supreme Court will hear arguments in its upcoming term, which starts in October.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider the case of Damon Landor, a Rastafarian who claims his rights were violated when prison officials cut off his knee-length dreadlocks while he served a five-month sentence for drug possession. Landor argues that the act was not only an infringement on his religious beliefs but also seeks to hold Louisiana prison officials accountable for their actions. The Supreme Court will hear the case in its next term beginning in October, with a ruling potentially impacting future religious rights cases, according to CBS News, Reuters, and SCMP.

Landor had maintained his dreadlocks for nearly two decades, signifying his commitment to the Rastafarian faith, which emphasizes hair growth as part of its beliefs. Throughout most of his incarceration, he was allowed to keep his hair under a "rastacap". However, upon his transfer to the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center near the end of his sentence, officials forcibly cut his hair after disregarding a previous court ruling that supported Rastafarians' right to maintain their hairstyles. According to court documents, when Landor presented evidence of his religious rights, it was dismissed by a guard who "threw it in the trash," after which Landor was restrained and had his head shaved, according to Reuters, SCMP, and CBS News.

The controversy centers around the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), which was designed to protect individuals against religious discrimination within state and local governments. Despite the egregious nature of Landor’s treatment as noted by the 5th Circuit Appeals Court, the court ruled that he could not pursue monetary damages from individual state officials under RLUIPA. Louisiana officials have since amended prison grooming policies to prevent similar situations, although they continue to contest Landor's right to sue, arguing that a favorable ruling could adversely affect prison management and staffing, according to SCMP, Reuters, and CBS News.