On May 23, 1996, an inmate at the Buckingham Correctional Center in Virginia filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act against the Virginia Department of Corrections in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. He alleged that his ...
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On May 23, 1996, an inmate at the Buckingham Correctional Center in Virginia filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act against the Virginia Department of Corrections in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. He alleged that his constitutional rights had been violated by the prison's policy that required an inmate to provide a written statement from a religious official before they would give him a religious diet. The defendant rescinded the policy and filed a motion for summary judgment.
On March 27, 1997, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia (Judge Samuel G. Wilson) granted summary judgment in favor of the prison and dismissed the prisoner's claims for declaratory and injunctive relief. The plaintiff asked the court to allow him to recover his costs from the lawsuit, arguing that the defendants had rescinded the policy as a direct result of the lawsuit. On October 27, 1997, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia (Judge Wilson) denied the inmate's motion and dismissed the case. Rahim X v. Morris 1997 WL 687729 (W.D.Va. Oct. 27, 1997).
Kristen Sagar - 03/10/2006
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