Document Type

Brief

Case Name

Thomas Walker v. John Baldwin

Publication Date

10-26-2022

Abstract

No. 22-2342
Thomas Walker v. John Baldwin

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Western Division, Honorable Iain D. Johnston (3:19-cv-50233)

From the Summary of the Argument

The Seventh Circuit should re-examine its precedent to allow for monetary damages for individual capacity suits under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) for three reasons. First, RLUIPA’s text follows the same approach as 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and should be interpreted to afford the same types of broad remedies. Before Employment Division of Oregon v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990), reduced the availability of free exercise claims, free exercise claims for monetary damages were frequently brought under § 1983. RLUIPA simply restored this way of vindicating rights violations to incarcerated religious claimants.

Comments

The Bruderhof is a Christian community stemming from the Anabaptist tradition. The Bruderhof was founded in 1920 in Germany in the aftermath of World War I. During Hitler’s reign, the community was targeted for its conscientious refusal to support Hitler’s militaristic and genocidal policies. Eventually, the Bruderhof left their homes in Germany and fled to England before immigrating to Paraguay and later to the United States, attracted by this nation’s founding principles of tolerance and liberty. The Bruderhof’s interest in this case arises from its belief that freedom from government coercion is essential for people of all faiths in matters of sincere religious practice. From its own experience, the Bruderhof knows the value of court-enforced standards for religious freedom that offer protection from the vagaries of political majorities.

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