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Case Name
Weir v. Nix
PC-IA-0017
Docket / Court
91-30463 ( S.D. Iowa )
State/Territory
Iowa
Case Type(s)
Prison Conditions
Case Summary
On August 5, 1991, a fundamentalist Christian inmate incarcerated in the Iowa State Penitentiary, in Fort Madison, Iowa, filed a lawsuit pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act against prison authorities in the United States District Court for the Southern ...
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On August 5, 1991, a fundamentalist Christian inmate incarcerated in the Iowa State Penitentiary, in Fort Madison, Iowa, filed a lawsuit pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act against prison authorities in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. The prisoner alleged that various prison policies infringed on his religious freedom. Specifically, he complained that the prison only employed a Protestant pastor, offered just three hours of group worship each week, prohibited inmates in protective custody from attending Sunday worship, forbid inmates from bringing a Bible into the exercise yard, limited in-cell books and magazines in number, lacked a baptismal font, and prohibited inmates from receiving certain fundamentalist Christian pamphlets.
After trial, the District Court (Magistrate Judge Ross A. Walters) found for the defendants on most issues, but ruled that the inmate should have been allowed to participate in a baptismal ceremony and to receive certain religious publications. Weir v. Nix, 890 F. Supp. 769 (S.D. Iowa 1995). Both parties appealed, but the defendants voluntarily withdrew their appeal when the plaintiff was transferred to another prison. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (Judge David R. Hansen) upheld the lower court's ruling, reasoning that the prison's religious programs did not substantially burden the inmate's exercise of his rights. Weir v. Nix, 114 F.3d 817 (8th Cir. 1997). The court affirmed the district court's ruling.
On June 14, 2000, the court ordered the plaintiff be reimbursed for litigation expenses.
Rebekah Henn Sullivan - 08/11/2005
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Issues and Causes of Action
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Issues
Constitutional Clause
Free Exercise Clause
General
Protective custody
Religious programs / policies
Plaintiff Type
Private Plaintiff
Type of Facility
Government-run
Causes of Action
Religious Freedom Rest. Act/Religious Land Use and Inst. Persons Act (RFRA/RLUIPA)
42 U.S.C. § 1983
Case Details
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Defendant(s)
Iowa State Penitentiary
Plaintiff Description
Fundamentalist Christian inmate in protective custody sued state prison officials for violations of Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Class action status sought
No
Class action status granted
No
Filed Pro Se
Unknown
Prevailing Party
Mixed
Public Int. Lawyer
No
Nature of Relief
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief
Litigation
Order Duration
1995 - n/a
Filed
08/05/1991
Case Ongoing
No
Additional Resources
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Documents
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Court
Docket(s)
S.D. Iowa
06/14/2000
91-30463
PC-IA-0017-9000.pdf
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Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
General Documents
S.D. Iowa
05/25/1995
Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order for Judgment
(890 F.Supp. 769)
PC-IA-0017-0001.pdf
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WESTLAW
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LEXIS
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Detail
Source: Google Scholar
U.S. Court of Appeals
06/11/1997
Reported Opinion
(114 F.3d 817)
PC-IA-0017-0002.pdf
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WESTLAW
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LEXIS
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Detail
Source: Google Scholar
People
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Judges
Arnold, Richard Sheppard
(E.D. Ark., W.D. Ark., Eighth Circuit)
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PC-IA-0017-0002
Arnold, Morris Sheppard
(W.D. Ark., Eighth Circuit)
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PC-IA-0017-0002
Hansen, David Rasmussen
(N.D. Iowa, Eighth Circuit)
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PC-IA-0017-0002
Walters, Ross A.
(S.D. Iowa)
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PC-IA-0017-0001 | PC-IA-0017-9000
Plaintiff's Lawyers
Ellsworth, Brian G.
(Iowa)
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PC-IA-0017-9000
Ingram, Patrick E.
(Iowa)
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PC-IA-0017-0001 | PC-IA-0017-0002 | PC-IA-0017-9000
Defendant's Lawyers
Ensign, Kristin W.
(Iowa)
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PC-IA-0017-0001 | PC-IA-0017-0002 | PC-IA-0017-9000
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