Source: Times Dispact
Wire Service: AP
On June 11, 2004 the Associated Press reported, "An American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit that challenges the Virginia Department of Corrections policy restricting inmate grooming can proceed, a U.S. District Court judge ruled yesterday. The state attorney general's office had hoped to get the case dismissed, arguing that the statute upon which the ACLU based its challenge is unconstitutional. Solicitor General William Thro's arguments focused on the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which says any agency receiving federal money cannot restrict the free practice of religion. Thro argued that the statute is unconstitutional because Congress does not have the right to dictate religious policies in state prisons... The grooming policy, enacted in 1999, bars facial hair and sideburns below the middle of the ear. It states that men must have their hair 'cut above the shirt collar and around the ears' and women must have hair shoulder-length or shorter."