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Smith v. Ward

Petition for certiorari denied on October 3, 2022
Docket No. Op. Below Argument Opinion Vote Author Term
21-1405 11th Cir. N/A N/A N/A N/A OT 2022

Issues: (1) Whether the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit erred in applying the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act when it held that Georgia need not grant a religious accommodation offered in 39 other prison systems; (2) whether RLUIPA allows religious accommodations to be denied based on any plausible risk to penological interests, if the government merely asserts that it chooses to take no risks; and (3) whether RLUIPA prohibits courts from granting any religious accommodation short of the full accommodation sought by a plaintiff prisoner.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

DateProceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
Mar 08 2022Application (21A515) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from March 29, 2022 to May 28, 2022, submitted to Justice Thomas.
Mar 16 2022Application (21A515) granted by Justice Thomas extending the time to file until April 28, 2022.
Apr 28 2022Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due June 6, 2022)
May 17 2022Motion to extend the time to file a response from June 6, 2022 to July 5, 2022, submitted to The Clerk.
May 18 2022Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including July 5, 2022.
Jun 03 2022Brief amici curiae of Christian Legal Society and National Association of Evangelicals filed.
Jun 06 2022Brief amici curiae of Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty, et al. filed.
Jun 06 2022Brief amicus curiae of Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America filed.
Jun 06 2022Brief amicus curiae of Sikh Coalition filed.
Jun 06 2022Brief amici curiae of Former Prison Officials filed.
Jun 06 2022Brief amici curiae of Kristen Bell, J.D., Ph.D., et al. filed.
Jun 06 2022Brief amicus curiae of Religious Freedom Institute filed.
Jun 06 2022Brief amici curiae of Prison Safety and Religion Scholars filed.
Jul 05 2022Brief of respondent Timothy C. Ward, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Corrections in opposition filed.
Jul 19 2022Reply of petitioner Lester J. Smith filed. (Distributed)
Jul 20 2022DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2022.
Oct 03 2022Petition DENIED.