Louisiana prison guards cut a Rastafari inmate’s dreadlocks. Supreme Court will decide if he can sue

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday wrestled with whether a former Louisiana inmate can sue prison officials who cut off his dreadlocks in violation of his Rastafari religious beliefs.

The justices heard arguments in the case of Damon Landor, who wants to sue for money damages under a federal law designed to protect the religious rights of inmates.

After two hours of arguments, the court’s three liberal justices seemed firmly on Landor’s side. But it was unclear whether even one of the six conservatives, let alone the two who would be necessary for a majority, would join them.

No one is defending what happened to Landor in 2020 when guards cut the dreadlocks he had been growing for nearly two decades.

But Louisiana argues that the law, the Religious Land Use and Institutional