Jones v. Williams

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Plaintiff, a former inmate at the Penitentiary, as well as a Muslim and a member of the Nation of Islam, appealed the grant of summary judgment in favor of fifteen employees of the Department on several civil rights claims filed under 42 U.S.C. 1983 and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), 42 U.S.C. 2000cc-2000cc-5. The court concluded that plaintiff's RLUIPA claims for monetary relief are foreclosed by Sossamon v. Texas and Wood v. Yordy and plaintiff's claims for injunctive relief are moot because he has been released from custody; plaintiff's section 1983 free exercise claims, all stemming from his religious beliefs against consuming and handling pork, are affirmed except that the court reversed the district court's grant of summary judgment holding that defendants were entitled to qualified immunity for plaintiff's claim that he was required to cook pork as part of his job duties; and, in regards to the First Amendment retaliation claim, the court concluded that there were genuine issues as to whether a food services manager retaliated against plaintiff for his complaints of discrimination and his threat to sue. Finally, the court rejected plaintiff's equal protection claim based on allegations of racial discrimination in the disciplinary proceedings following an altercation. Accordingly, the court affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded in part. View "Jones v. Williams" on Justia Law