Federal court rules that prison’s termination of Christian course was likely unconstitutional
August 19, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: A federal appellate court ruled that a Minnesota Department of Corrections’ decision to terminate a volunteer-led course on Christian manhood likely violated the First Amendment.
Between 2012 and 2020, a volunteer taught the class, which was paused because of COVID. In 2023, a Minnesota prison official terminated the class because, in the official’s words, it “directly conflicts with the diversity, equity, and inclusivity values of the department by defining manhood, or the study of masculinity, through a biblical lens.”
Judge Lavenski Smith, appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, wrote the court’s opinion.
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