Cutter v. Wilkinson
Okay, so imagine you have two people. One is named Cutter and the other is named Wilkinson. They both live in a place called Ohio and they both go to jail because they did something bad. While they're in jail, they practice different religions.
Cutter is a member of a group called the Native American Church. They have a special way of practicing their religion that involves using tobacco and peyote, which is a type of cactus. It's really important to them to be able to have access to these things when they're praying.
Wilkinson is a member of a religion called Islam. One of the important practices of his religion is to have a beard. But the jail where he's staying has a rule that says inmates can't have beards. Wilkinson thinks this rule is unfair because it goes against his religious beliefs.
So the two of them decided to do something about it. They went to court and sued the people who run the jail, saying that the rules were violating their rights to practice their religion. The case eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the United States.
The Supreme Court had to decide whether the jail's rules about tobacco and peyote for Cutter and beards for Wilkinson violated their religious freedom. In the end, the court said that the jail had to make sure Cutter could use tobacco and peyote for his religious practices as long as it didn't endanger the health of the other inmates. And they said that Wilkinson could have a beard because the jail didn't have a good enough reason for making a rule that went against his religious beliefs.
So now, because of this case, people in jail who practice religions that involve things like peyote or beards have a better chance of being allowed to practice their religion while they're in jail.
Cutter is a member of a group called the Native American Church. They have a special way of practicing their religion that involves using tobacco and peyote, which is a type of cactus. It's really important to them to be able to have access to these things when they're praying.
Wilkinson is a member of a religion called Islam. One of the important practices of his religion is to have a beard. But the jail where he's staying has a rule that says inmates can't have beards. Wilkinson thinks this rule is unfair because it goes against his religious beliefs.
So the two of them decided to do something about it. They went to court and sued the people who run the jail, saying that the rules were violating their rights to practice their religion. The case eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the United States.
The Supreme Court had to decide whether the jail's rules about tobacco and peyote for Cutter and beards for Wilkinson violated their religious freedom. In the end, the court said that the jail had to make sure Cutter could use tobacco and peyote for his religious practices as long as it didn't endanger the health of the other inmates. And they said that Wilkinson could have a beard because the jail didn't have a good enough reason for making a rule that went against his religious beliefs.
So now, because of this case, people in jail who practice religions that involve things like peyote or beards have a better chance of being allowed to practice their religion while they're in jail.