The U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Ocala Division, currently has a prisoner civil rights case in which the court seeks to appoint counsel to represent the plaintiff.
Plaintiff filed a civil rights case under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 based on the First Amendment and Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc–2000cc-5.
The Plaintiff claims that the Florida Department of Corrections’ grooming policy, which prohibits inmates from growing beards longer than half an inch, unlawfully interferes with his right to freely practice his religious beliefs.
The plaintiff states that a tenet of his faith requires him to grow a fist-length beard with a trimmed mustache. The court has ruled on plaintiff’s and defendant’s motions for summary judgment.
The remaining issues are whether the grooming policy violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and whether the grooming policy violates RLUIPA’s protection of religious liberty.
The case is Dotson v. Dixon, et al. 5:22-cv-479-WFJ-PRL.
Contact Pro Se Litigation Specialist Kirstie Scott at [email protected] to learn more.