Greenhill v. Clarke, No. 18-7300 (4th Cir. 2019)
Annotate this Case
Plaintiff, an inmate at a state prison, filed suit against officials at the VDOC under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, alleging that the VDOC was denying him the ability to practice central tenets of his Muslim religion. The district court granted summary judgment to the VDOC.
The Fourth Circuit vacated and remanded, holding that the VDOC's stated justifications for denying plaintiff access to a Friday prayer service known as Jum'ah and interfering with his ability to maintain a four-inch beard were invalid under both RLUIPA and the First Amendment. The court commended for consideration by the VDOC in further proceedings the full practical effect of observations made by former correctional officials that providing robust support for inmates' genuine religious exercise would actually enhance prison security and inmate rehabilitation.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.