Federal Court Rules In Favor of Atheist, Says Prison Violated Constitutional Rights

A federal court in Oregon recently ruled in favor of an inmate who sued the state prison system after he was not allowed to form an humanist study group.

A federal judge ruled late last week that inmate Jason Holden's constitutional rights were violated when the Oregon Prison System rejected his requests for founding a humanist study group because humanism was not listed as an official religion in the prison system.

Senior District Judge Ancer Haggerty ruled that Holden's constitutional rights had been violated and that the Oregon prison system must now recognize humanism as a religion in relation to a prisoner's constitutional rights.

Holden had previously said that humanists believe in the good of mankind, and therefore he thinks a humanist study group would be just as beneficial as a religious-themed study group.

According to The Huffington Post, Haggerty wrote in her opinion that "The court finds that Secular Humanism is a religion for Establishment Clause purposes."

"Allowing followers of other faiths to join religious group meetings while denying Holden the same privilege is discrimination on the basis of religion."

In a similar ruling in California, a judge ruled in favor of an atheist inmate who was forced to undergo a religious-themed addiction program after being arrested for drug possession. The atheist had asked that he be able to attend a non-religious program, but because there were none available he was forced to attend the 12-step Christian themed program.

A judge ruled earlier this year that the atheist's constitutional rights had been violated when he was forced to attend a religious program.