Religious beards in prison
Gregory Houston Holt v. Hobbs
In brief
The Supreme Court sided with Holt: Arkansas could not use its grooming policy to bar his religious half-inch beard.
- Where it stands
- Decided
Decided 9-0 · January 20, 2015 · Opinion by Justice Ginsburg
- What it’s about
- The Supreme Court ruled that Arkansas’s prison grooming policy violated the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, a law protecting religious practice in institutions, insofar as it stopped Gregory Holt from growing a half-inch beard for religious reasons.
- Who it affects
- Arkansas’s prison system cannot use this grooming policy to stop Holt from growing a half-inch beard in line with his religious beliefs.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
It overturned the lower court’s ruling (reversed it) and sent the case back to that court (remanded it).
The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act protects religious practice in institutions, including prisons.
Question presented
Does the Arkansas Department of Corrections grooming policy violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act by preventing Holt from growing a one-half-inch beard in accordance with his religious beliefs?
What the Court decided
Holding
The Department’s grooming policy violates RLUIPA insofar as it prevents petitioner from growing a ½-inch beard in accordance with his religious beliefs. 561, reversed and remanded.
- Result
- Reversed
The Court's reasoning
Justice Sotomayor, writing separately, said the Department had not shown why less restrictive options Holt identified would fail to serve its security interests. She stressed that prison security remains a compelling interest and prison officials deserve deference.
The vote
What's next
The case returns to the Eighth Circuit to proceed under the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Documents
Opinions
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
AI analysis generated: Decision Record
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
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Opinion added: Holt
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.