More Recent Prisoner Free Exercise Cases

In Kilgore v. Gerlicher, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 119578 (D MN, Aug. 8, 2014), a Mionnesota federal magistrate judge recommended dismissing an inmate's claim that his free exercise rights were substantially burdened by the Department of Corrections designating Nation of Gods and Earths as a security threat group.In Green v. Hawkinberry, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 120020 (WD PA, Aug. 28, 2014), a Pennsylvania federal magistrate judge permitted an inmate to proceed against all but one defendant with his complaint that he was wrongfullydenied a kosher diet.In Muhammad v. Pearson, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 120396 (ED VA, Aug. 22, 2014), a Virginia federal district court dismissed a complaint by a Nation of Islam inmate that he was denied study guides, DVD's, and a second NOI meeting. The court did not dismiss, pending a motion to do so, plaintiff's complaint that he was unable to have NOI meetings while on lockdown.In Guillory v. Ellis, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 120709 (ND NY, Aug. 29, 2014), a New York federal district court adopted a magistrate's recommendation and dismissed a suit in which plaintiff claimed defendant caused him to miss one religious service and there was a shortened Purim celebration.In Shabazz v. Giurbino, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 121037 (ED CA, Aug. 28, 2014), a California federal magistrate judge recommended that a Muslim inmate be allowed to move forward with some of his claims alleging that he received Halal meals containing meat only once a day (the others were vegetarian) while Jewish prisoners received kosher meat meals three times a day.