By Michael Graczyk
Houston, Texas (AP)
A court should not have dismissed a convicted sexual offender’s lawsuit alleging prison officials violated his Native American religious beliefs by prohibiting him from carrying a medicine pouch or growing a patch of hair on the back of his head, a federal appeals court has ruled.
The ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sends the case of Shawn Odneal, identified in court documents as a “Native American religious practitioner,” back to a district court for additional proceedings.
Houston, Texas (AP)
A court should not have dismissed a convicted sexual offender’s lawsuit alleging prison officials violated his Native American religious beliefs by prohibiting him from carrying a medicine pouch or growing a patch of hair on the back of his head, a federal appeals court has ruled.
The ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sends the case of Shawn Odneal, identified in court documents as a “Native American religious practitioner,” back to a district court for additional proceedings.