The six prisoners who sued the State of New York had their wishes granted Thursday as the state agreed to let them view the eclipse for their cited religious beliefs, the New York Post (NYP) reported.
The prisoner’s attorneys welcomed the state’s decision to permit the six inmates of various religious backgrounds to view the eclipse Monday “in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs,” according to the NYP. However, thousands of other inmates will still not be able to view the celestial event given the outstanding order to bar outdoor activities during this period. (RELATED: Pro-Life Activists Targeted By Biden’s DOJ Face Prison Time After Conviction)
NY agrees to let six prisoners watch solar eclipse for ‘religious’ reasons https://t.co/7Tc36c8bjK pic.twitter.com/Vs4hjjPV3W
— New York Post (@nypost) April 5, 2024
The plaintiffs argued that this very lockdown decision by the prisons infringed on the right to practice their religious beliefs, NBC 5 reported. The plaintiffs came from a diverse range of religious backgrounds, including an atheist, Muslim, a Seventh-Day Adventist, two Santeria practitioners and a Baptist. They all argued that the solar eclipse heralded a time of “gathering, celebration, worship and prayer,” a complaint reads.
This disparity was not lost by the lawyers of the plaintiffs. “It is going to be a very bad look for the Department of Corrections if they have conceded that these six people are allowed to watch it based on religious grounds, and then are stopping similarly situated individuals at other prisons, or the same prison, from watching on the same grounds,” Chris McArdle, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told Hell Gate.
“We’ve got people who don’t believe in God, and they still want to watch the eclipse,” said Jean-Marc Desmarat, one of the inmates who sued, Hell Gate reported. “They want to be able to watch it. They want to be part of something magnificent,” he added.
Desmarat also said that being able to pray as a Muslim during the eclipse while there is an ongoing war in Gaza would be meaningful.
“We’re the talk of the jail right now, as you might expect,” Jeremy Zielinski, another plaintiff, told the outlet Wednesday prior to the settlement.