A group of incarcerated people in New York will be allowed to watch Monday’s total eclipse of the sun after suing the state’s correctional department for its decision to lock down the prison during the celestial event.
Six people at the Woodbourne correctional facility in southern New York state will be allowed to view the solar eclipse in outdoor space “in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs”, according to a statement from the group’s lawyers.
“We are pleased that, in response to our lawsuit alleging religious discrimination, New York state has entered into a binding settlement agreement that will allow our six clients to view the solar eclipse in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs,” the attorney Christopher McArdle, who represents the plaintiffs, said in a statement to the Washington Post.
The correctional department will also provide protective eyewear to wear during the eclipse.
The group argued that the statewide decision to lock down the prison violated their constitutional rights. The New York department of corrections had planned to confine the prison during the eclipse for safety reasons.
The six plaintiffs identify with various religious backgrounds including Christianity, Islam, atheism and Santería.
In a lawsuit filed last week in federal court in upstate New York, the group argued that the solar eclipse was a “rare, natural phenomenon with great religious significance to many”, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit cited passages from the Bible that describe an eclipse during Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and a similar event during a special call to prayer in Islam.
A spokesperson for the correctional department confirmed the decision, noting that prison officials had already been considering religious exemption requests before the lawsuit was filed.
The correctional department added that other religious exemptions are still being considered, but did not say how many.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs say that this latest case could allow other people to see this celestial phenomenon.
Monday’s solar eclipse will be the first in the US since 21 August 2017. The next total solar eclipse won’t be until 2044.
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