The Courts Come Through

• The Courts Come Through
  

  

  Jann

  
  

  This is just a small step toward male civil liberties, but its still encouraging. A federal appeals court ruled last week that prison authorities did not have the right to prolong the sentence of a Native American man because he refused to cut his waist length hair. The inmate, Billy Warsoldier, belongs to the Cahuillas tribe in Riverside County, California. He was serving a two year sentence for drunk driving and was supposed to be released last Friday on good behavior credits. Prison officials, however, said they were going to keep him in prison until July 7 because he had refused to cut his hair. The ACLU filed an emergency petition with the 9th Circuit, which ordered Warsoldier released, holding that continuing to incarcerate Warsoldier because he wouldn't cut his hair violated his right to freedom of religion. (The Cahuillas only cut their hair if a loved one dies.) The case would have wider application and more significance for those of us who don't have a religious basis for our choice of hairstyle if the court had decided the case on the ground that men have an equal right with women to wear their hair any length they choose. Still, its a step in the right direction.

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  • Re: The Courts Come Through
    

    

    Elektros

    
    

    This is just a small step toward male civil liberties, but its still encouraging. A federal appeals court ruled last week that prison authorities did not have the right to prolong the sentence of a Native American man because he refused to cut his waist length hair. The ACLU filed an emergency petition with the 9th Circuit, which ordered Warsoldier released, holding that continuing to incarcerate Warsoldier because he wouldn't cut his hair violated his right to freedom of religion. (The Cahuillas only cut their hair if a loved one dies.) In US jurisprudence there are numerous such cases concerning Native Americans, but unfortunately they have no bearing on the rest of us. About the only way it could help you would be if you could somehow join a tribe. I am not a lawyer, although Bill is, I beleive.

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