Inmates in New York file lawsuit for religious rights to view solar eclipse
Six inmates in a New York prison filed a lawsuit against the state corrections department for imposing a lockdown during the April 8 solar eclipse. The lockdown affecting 23 prisons in the eclipse’s path violates their religious freedom. The inmates, followers of various faiths, argue that the eclipse holds significant religious importance. Six inmates in a New York prison have taken legal action against the state corrections department for enforcing a lockdown coinciding with the April 8 solar eclipse. This directive, impacting 23 prisons along the eclipse’s route, is contested by the inmates on grounds of religious freedom infringement. They maintain that the eclipse carries profound religious significance for them.
Six inmates at a New York prison filed a lawsuit against the state corrections department for implementing a lockdown the evening of the April 8 solar eclipse.
The lockdown, which will take place across 23 state prisons in the path of totality, is a violation of the six inmates’ religious freedom to be unable to partake in a religious event, the March 29 complaint says.
“A solar eclipse is a rare, natural phenomenon with great religious significance to many,” according to the complaint.
The six men being held at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility claim that they are a Baptist, a Seventh-day Adventist, a Muslim, an atheist, and two allege they are practitioners of Santeria.
The lockdown was implemented to prevent security breaches, and inmates will remain in their housing units from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Daily Mail reported.
Visitation at the 23 prisons will be canceled and visitation at all other facilities will be suspended after 2 p.m. that day.
In March, the plaintiff who is an atheist was given permission to view the solar eclipse with state-provided glasses prior to the lockdown announcement, according to the lawsuit. Four of the inmates who requested to watch the total solar eclipse for religious purposes were denied, and one inmate did not get a response.
A spokesperson for the corrections facility told the Associated Press that those requests made by inmates are all now under review.
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The solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and sun, blocking the sun for a couple of minutes, resulting in complete darkness. It will be the first solar eclipse in the United States since August 2017 and won’t take place again until 2044.
The solar eclipse’s path of totality will enter the southwestern part of New York and is expected to last from 3:15 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., with the entire event spanning two and a half hours.
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