In New York, prisoners are taking legal action against the state corrections department because they have decided to lock down prisons on the day of the upcoming total solar eclipse.
A lawsuit was filed on Friday in federal court in upstate New York, arguing that the lockdown on April 8 goes against the prisoners' constitutional rights to participate in a religiously important event and practice their faiths.
Six men with different religious beliefs who are imprisoned at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility are the plaintiffs. Among them are a Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-Day Adventist, two practitioners of Santeria, and an atheist.
The complaint emphasizes the rare religious significance of a solar eclipse, citing similar events in Bible passages and sacred Islamic texts.
According to the complaint, the celestial event, last seen in the U.S. in 2017 and not to be seen again until 2044, is deserving of gathering, celebration, worship, and prayer.
The lawsuit mentions that one of the named plaintiffs, an atheist, was initially allowed to view the eclipse with special glasses provided by the state, but this permission was revoked when the system-wide lockdown was implemented.
Four other plaintiffs requested permission to view the eclipse but were denied, with officials stating that the solar eclipse is not considered a holy day for their religions. The sixth inmate did not receive a response.
Thomas Mailey, a spokesperson for the corrections department, stated that the agency does not comment on ongoing legal cases but does consider requests for religious accommodations, including those related to viewing the eclipse.
The acting commissioner of the department, Daniel Martuscello III, announced a holiday schedule for all state correctional facilities on the day of the eclipse, with inmates remaining in their living areas except for emergencies from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
This is the usual time for outdoor recreation in prisons, according to the lawsuit.
At nearly two dozen prisons in the path of totality, there will be no visitation on the day of the eclipse, and visitation at other correctional facilities will end at 2 p.m.
The department will provide solar eclipse safety glasses to staff and inmates at prisons in the path of totality, so they can safely view the eclipse from their assigned work areas or living quarters.
Communities in western and northern parts of the state, such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Lake Placid, and Plattsburgh, are expected to have the best view of the total eclipse.
The total eclipse is anticipated to be visible in these areas of New York around 3:15 p.m., lasting only a few minutes as the moon moves between the Earth and the sun, temporarily blocking the sun and causing day to turn into night.
