Filed Date: May 15, 1980
Closed Date: March 13, 1981
Clearinghouse coding complete
In 1980, Native American prisoners at the Iowa State Penitentiary filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa against the Iowa Division of Adult Corrections and the Warden, Director of Security, and corrections officers at the Penitentiary. The plaintiffs, who were represented by the Native American Rights Fund, alleged violations of their First, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Specifically, the plaintiffs sought injunctive relief to enjoin the Penitentiary to provide inmates with access to a sweat lodge for religious purposes. One of the plaintiffs also sought the return of certain legal and religious papers, which he alleged the prison had confiscated, and asked for money damages.
On March 13, 1981, the court (Judge W.C. Stewart) approved a consent decree, under which the defendants agreed to find and return the missing legal and religious materials ff and to reimburse the plaintiff for any lost items. The State also agreed to allow a sweat lodge to be constructed on the grounds of the Iowa State Penitentiary. Prison officials, however, retained the authority to schedule visits to the sweat lodge, to decide where the lodge could be built, and to temporarily suspend access to the sweat lodge when necessary.
We do not have the docket in this case and have no information on any subsequent litigation. Presumably the case is over, or at least long dormant.
Summary Authors
Rebekah Henn Sullivan (8/16/2005)
Stuart, William Corwin (Iowa)
Allen, Gordon E. (Iowa)
Blue Dog, Kurt V. (Colorado)
Echo-Hawk, Walter R. (Colorado)
Mann, Thomas Jr. (Iowa)
Stuart, William Corwin (Iowa)
Last updated April 15, 2024, 3:25 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Iowa
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: May 15, 1980
Closing Date: March 13, 1981
Case Ongoing: Perhaps, but long-dormant
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
American Indian prisoners of the Iowa State Penitentiary seeking to restrain prison officials from denying them their right to the reasonable exercise of their native Indian religion and requesting access to a traditional Indian sweat lodge at the prison
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Iowa State Penitentiary, State
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Due Process: Procedural Due Process
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Order Duration: 1981 - 1981
Issues
General:
Type of Facility: