Their prayers were answered.
Six inmates who cited “religious beliefs” in suing an upstate New York prison to watch Monday’s solar eclipse have reached a settlement that will allow them to witness the astronomical wonder.
Inmates at Woodbourne Correctional Facility, which also includes a Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-day Adventist, two Santeria practitioners, and an atheist, can observe celestial wonders from the prison yard. The inmate’s lawyer announced that the permit will be granted. Thursday’s statement.
The prison will also provide glasses to allow inmates to watch safely “in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs,” the lawyers said.
But after corrections officials announced that outdoor activities would be prohibited between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., a period when the moon eclipses the sun and much of the state is briefly in full health, The fate of thousands of other prisoners remains in limbo. darkness.
And inmates who don’t have a religious reason to see this phenomenon may be out of luck, as the settlement money won’t apply to them at all.
“There are people who don’t believe in God but still want to see a solar eclipse,” said Jean-Marc Desmaras, one of the plaintiffs. He told the news site Hellgate. “They want to see it and they want to be a part of something great.”
The deal comes just days after inmates filed a lawsuit claiming they had a constitutional right to view the eclipse, with pro bono assistance from the law firm Alston & Bird. He claimed that the solar eclipse is a “religious event that must be reflected upon in order to witness and observe it.” their faith,” he said in court documents.
Attorney Chris McArdle told the Post on Friday that the inmates were “overjoyed” after being told in a phone call Thursday afternoon that they could see the eclipse.
“They were very, very happy to hear the news,” the lawyer said.
The lawsuit alleges that the Bible describes a solar eclipse-like phenomenon during Jesus’ crucifixion, and that Islamic prayer books depict a similar event during the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s son. Pointed out.
Even atheist plaintiff Jeremy Zielinski argued that “a central aspect of atheism is celebrating our common humanity and encouraging people to come together and find common ground.”
Everything you need to know about the 2024 solar eclipse
- The solar eclipse will occur on Monday, April 8th, blocking the sun from more than 180 million people in its path.
- The eclipse will spread from the Pacific coast of Mexico across North America, hitting 15 U.S. states and reaching the shores of Newfoundland, Canada.
- New Yorkers will experience a solar eclipse Monday just after 2 p.m.
- Experts say a massive solar explosion known as a coronal mass ejection is expected. Ryan French of the National Solar Observatory in Boulder, Colorado, explains that this happens when huge particles from the sun are sent flying into space.
- To avoid serious damage to the eyes, during the pre- and post-total partial eclipse stages, the phenomenon must be viewed through appropriate glasses, such as eclipse glasses or hand-held solar observation devices.
- The next total solar eclipse will occur on August 12, 2026, and will be visible to people in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and parts of Portugal.
He claimed to have received permission from the Department of Corrections to view the eclipse, but a few days later, authorities announced that the state’s prisons would be on lockdown for the duration of the astronomical phenomenon.
A spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said the agency had already begun analyzing requests for eclipse viewing before the lawsuit was filed.
A spokesperson said, “The lawsuit has been appropriately resolved.”
Woodbourne, in Sullivan County, is not near the Perfection Zone, but it is located in the top and Many medium-security prisons are located there.
The next total solar eclipse is not expected to occur until 2044.
