Williams v. Borrego
10th Cir. No. 20-1146
Rights Behind Bars, along with the law firm Jones Day, represents Charles Williams, an incarcerated man in Colorado. A devout adherent to Native American religious practices, his prison collectively punished the Native Americans in their prison by prohibiting their use of tobacco for religious pipe ceremonies when a non-Native incarcerated person was caught with unrelated tobacco. The prison also shut down Native American religious services during a time of modified lockdown despite allowing Christian and Muslim religious observances to proceed. Mr. Williams defeated a motion to dismiss before the district court but the state of Colorado appealed to the Tenth Circuit, arguing that they were entitled to qualified immunity because Mr. Williams's right to the free exercise of his religion was not clearly established.
The Tenth Circuit sided with Mr. Williams, asserting his right to fully practice his religion.
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