St. Claire v. Cuyler

OPINION OF THE COURT

ALDISERT, Circuit Judge.

The question for decision in this appeal by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania defendants from the district court judgment after a non-jury trial is whether the court erred in determining that certain practices at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford, Pennsylvania, violated an inmate’s first amendment rights under the free exercise clause. We conclude that there was error and reverse.

I

This litigation arises out of three discrete incidents at the Graterford prison. In the first incident, prison officials punished Frank “X” St. Claire, an…