Tuesday, June 14, 2022

10th Circuit Affirms Dismissal Of Church's Complaint Regarding Sending Of Material To Inmates

 In Colorado Springs Fellowship Church v. Williams(10th Cir., June 13, 2022), the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a church's challenge to prison rules that barred it from sending DVD's directly to inmates. Religious organizations could only send religious materials to the Bureau of Prisons which would them make them available to all inmates. The district court had dismissed the church's Establishment Clause claim. On appeal, the court refused to consider the church's argument that the Turner standard does not apply to free speech and free exercise claims brought by non-prisoners because the church had not made that argument to the district court below. The church had also failed to allege that it was treated differently than other religious groups.