A right to a rosary

An inmate in an Illinois prison asked for a rosary because, as a Catholic, he needed it to pray. The warden replied that he was also a Catholic, and the inmate did not need a rosary to pray.

The inmate sued on this and other issues in U.S. District Court. That court dismissed his lawsuit, but the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed.

On the warden's denying the need for a rosary, the court said,

Such an assertion is not sufficient. A person’s religious beliefs are personal to that individual; they are not subject to restriction by the personal theological views of another. [citation omitted]

The case was returned to the District Court for further proceedings, including on the issue of the need for, and sufficiency of reasons for denying, a rosary. Ortiz v. Downey (06-2453, April 1, 2009)

(via Wisconsin Law Journal)