Facts About Damon Landor: The Rastafarian Suing Prison Officials for Shaving His Dreadlocks

Damon Landor, a devout Rastafarian inmate from Louisiana, is still pursuing legal action against state prison officials after they forcibly shaved his dreadlocks during his time behind bars in 2020. He filed the suit in the US, at the heart of a larger question, can individuals be held personally liable for religious-rights violations under the federal law known as Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA)?

The incident happened at the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center in Louisiana when Landor was serving a five-month sentence for drug possession and believed his religious vow required him to keep his hair uncut.

What makes this case compelling is not just the violation of his dreadlocks but how he got there — after presenting staff with prior legal precedent to protect his faith only to face a violent disregard of his rights. And the how of the case frames the legal battle — he carried a court decision, was ignored, restrained, and shorn.

Who is Damon Landor?

Damon Landor is a Louisiana native who for nearly two decades adhered to the Nazarite vow, a religious commitment within Rastafarianism that forbids cutting one's hair.

He grew dreadlocks that at one point nearly reached his knees. In 2020 he was serving a five-month sentence for drug possession when he was transferred to another facility.

Before the incident he had served time in other prisons without issue concerning his hair. He lived in Slidell, Louisiana and identified strongly with his faith and its expression in his dreadlocks.

Damon Landor's Case Explained

According to the Washington Post, when Landor arrived at Raymond Laborde Correctional Center in 2020, he informed prison staff of his faith and produced a copy of a 2017 appeals court ruling, which held that Louisiana's policy of forcing Rastafarians to cut their hair violated RLUIPA.

Nonetheless, a guard reportedly threw the document in the bin and then, according to court filings, Landor was handcuffed to a chair, held down by two officers, and had his dreadlocks forcibly removed. In his legal filing, his lawyers wrote that 'in an instant they stripped Landor of decades of consistent religious practice and a defining feature of his identity'.

The prison department later acknowledged the incident and revised grooming rules. Lower courts found the hair-cutting violated his rights, but ruled Landor cannot sue individual officials for damages under RLUIPA because the statute doesn't explicitly permit such claims.

Supreme Court To Hear Landor's Case

The case, styled Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections, reached the Supreme Court of the United States after lower courts consistently held that RLUIPA does not allow lawsuits seeking money damages against state officials in their individual capacities.

The key legal question before the Court is whether RLUIPA's phrase 'appropriate relief' includes monetary damages against individuals — similar language appears in the related Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), under which the Court previously permitted such claims.

The state argues that extending liability would worsen staffing crises in prisons and undermine sovereign immunity. The justices heard arguments recently, with a decision expected by mid-2026.

Latest Update on Damon Landor

Landor has since been released from his sentence and is reportedly regrowing his dreadlocks, which now extend past his shoulders, as per CNN. He is preparing to attend proceedings at the Supreme Court in person.

Meanwhile, the Louisiana Department of Corrections updated its grooming policy to reduce future conflicts over religious hair practices. Though the state publicly condemned the original treatment, it continues to block Landor's ability to seek personal damages against the individual officials.

A ruling in his favour would not only affect Landor's claim but could reshape how incarcerated individuals across the US assert religious-freedom rights.