New York inmates filed a lawsuit against the state corrections department after they were told prisons would be locked down during the solar eclipse Monday, NPR reported.
Daniel Martuscello III, acting commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections, issued a memo March 11 announcing that all state correctional facilities will operate on a holiday schedule Monday.
That means inmates will remain in their housing units from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the usual hours for inmates to have outdoor time. and the time when the eclipse will be visible in New York.
Six inmates filed the lawsuit, saying that a lockdown will infringe upon their 1st Amendment right to practice their religion and take part in a religious event.
"A solar eclipse is a rare, natural phenomenon with great religious significance to many," reads the complaint. The inmates who filed the complaint identify as a Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-Day Adventist, and an atheist, while two identify as practitioners of Santeria.
The complaint noted that many religions, including Christianity and Islam, include references to eclipses or eclipse-like phenomena during significant religious events, such as the crucifixion of Jesus and the death of the Prophet Muhammad's son.
The last eclipse was visible from the U.S. in 2017, and the next one won't be visible until 2044.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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