Cutter v. Wilkinson
Encyclopedia
Cutter v. Wilkinson, 544 U.S. 709 (2005), is a case decided by the United States Supreme Court on May 31, 2005, which holds that under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act
(RLUIPA), prison
ers in facilities that accept federal funds cannot be denied accommodations necessary to engage in activities for the practice of their own religious beliefs.
The case was brought by five residents of an Ohio
prison, which included two adherents of Asatru
, a minister of the white supremacist Church of Jesus Christ Christian, a Wicca
n and a Satanist.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8047388/
The Court returned a unanimous opinion, written by Justice Ginsburg
, with a concurring opinion by Justice Thomas
.
Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act
The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act , , codified as et seq., is a United States federal law that prohibits the imposition of burdens on the ability of prisoners to worship as they please, as well as giving churches and other religious institutions a way to avoid burdensome...
(RLUIPA), prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
ers in facilities that accept federal funds cannot be denied accommodations necessary to engage in activities for the practice of their own religious beliefs.
The case was brought by five residents of an Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
prison, which included two adherents of Asatru
Ásatrú
is a form of Germanic neopaganism which developed in the United States from the 1970s....
, a minister of the white supremacist Church of Jesus Christ Christian, a Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n and a Satanist.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8047388/
The Court returned a unanimous opinion, written by Justice Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Ginsburg was appointed by President Bill Clinton and took the oath of office on August 10, 1993. She is the second female justice and the first Jewish female justice.She is generally viewed as belonging to...
, with a concurring opinion by Justice Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
.