9-0 for Religious Freedom in Holt v. Hobbs

The Supreme Court decided Holt v. Hobbs on January 20, 2015. If you recall, Holt v. Hobbs centered on an Arkansas inmate who wished to grow his beard to a half-inch length because he considered it essential to practicing Islam. The prison banned facial hair, except beards of a quarter-inch length for inmates with skin conditions, because of security risks: that prisoners could hide contraband in beards and they could shave them off if they escaped to not be recognized. The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favor of the inmate, with a decision written by Justice Alito, a concurring decision written by Justice Ginsburg (joined by Justice Sotomayor, concurring), and a concurring decision written by Justice Sotomayor.

Half-Inch by Half-Inch: Holt v. Hobbs

Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments for the case Holt v. Hobbs. The case focuses on Gregory Holt, who also goes by Abdul Maalik Muhammad. Holt, a practicing Salafi Muslim, was a prisoner in an Arkansas state prison. To fulfill his religious beliefs, Holt tried to obtain a relief from the prison’s rules against facial hair: trimmed mustaches and quarter-inch long beards for dermatological problems. Holt claims growing a beard is necessary part of his religious tradition and the prison’s rule significantly (or rather totally) impaired his ability to grow a beard. His argument is that the prison’s facial hair rules violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.