Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Muslim Prisoner Wins Right to Wear Beard in Case With Orthodox Support

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of a Muslim prisoner in Arkansas on his beard length in a case that drew Orthodox Jewish support.

In the ruling Tuesday in favor of inmate Gregory Holt, written by Justice Samuel Alito, the court said Arkansas failed to show why it was unable to allow the half-inch length that the “vast majority” of states and the federal government permit prisoners to grow their beards.

In so doing, the court said, the Arkansas Department of Correction violated a 2000 law that allows prisoners to worship according to their religious beliefs, and for which the Orthodox Jewish groups had lobbied on behalf of for years.

A coalition of Orthodox Jewish groups filed an amicus brief on Holt’s behalf in the case authored by Nathan Lewin, a Washington attorney who specializes in religious freedom cases before the high court.

“The unanimous decision by the justices of the Supreme Court is a victory for all religions and anyone who wishes to follow his/her faith and proves that government institutions cannot place substantial burdens on religious practices,” the Orthodox Union, one of the lobbying groups, said in a statement.

Agudath Israel of America, another of the lobbying groups, in a statement said the decision was “a true victory for religious liberty.”

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.