Court denies Va. inmate's lawsuit over beard

Recent Cases

A federal court has denied a Muslim inmate's lawsuit claiming the Virginia prison system violated his religious rights by refusing to allow him to grow a 1/8-inch beard.

William Couch challenged the Department of Corrections' grooming policy that bans long hair or beards.

A federal court in Harrisonburg sided with the department Thursday.

Couch's attorney, Jeffrey Fogel, filed an appeal Monday. He argues the beard is too short to allow Couch to easily change his appearance or hide weapons, which is the department's reason for the policy.

A federal appellate court ruled against a group of inmates who sued the department after the grooming policy was instituted in 1999. Several lived in segregation for more than a decade until the department developed a separate living space for them last year.


Related listings

  • Democrats criticize hiring of firm for House remap

    Democrats criticize hiring of firm for House remap

    Recent Cases 04/18/2011

    Democratic lawmakers are raising complaints about Republican House Speaker Jim Tucker's decision to hire a law firm with national GOP ties to submit the state House remap to federal officials. The head of the House redistricting committee, Democratic...

  • 2 charged with insider trading involving law firms

    2 charged with insider trading involving law firms

    Recent Cases 04/06/2011

    Federal authorities have charged two men with running an insider trading scheme that netted more than $30 million with information stolen from law firms. Garrett Bauer is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J., on Wednesday aftern...

  • Court-appointed lawyer denied for torture suspect

    Court-appointed lawyer denied for torture suspect

    Recent Cases 03/20/2011

    A judge has denied a court-appointed attorney for a Texas man accused of torturing a woman for two weeks on a device used for skinning deer.The judge said Monday during Jeffrey Allan Maxwell's initial court appearance that the 58-year-old wasn't indi...

Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

Business News

West Hartford, Connecticut Special Education Lawyer Forte Law Group focuses on special education law and empowering parents to advocate for their child’s rights. >> read