U.S. Appeals Court: RELIGION.

Sasnett v. Litscher, 197 F.3d 290 (7th Cir. 1999). State inmates brought a civil rights action seeking to enjoin a prison regulation that limits their possession of crosses. The district court found that the regulation violated the provisions of the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act (RFRA) and the appeals court affirmed. The United States Supreme Court vacated the judgment and remanded the case. The district court granted summary judgment for the defendants and the inmates appealed. The appeals court reversed, finding that the action was not rendered moot by a new regulation and that the regulation violated the First Amendment's free exercise principles. The regulation allowed inmates to wear a cross only when it was attached to a rosary and the appeals court found that the regulation discriminated against inmates of the Protestant faith. (Wisconsin Department of Corrections)