Defendants Thomas A. Coughlin, III,
et al.,
New York State prison officials, appeal from an order of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, Thomas J. McAvoy,
Judge,
denying their motion for summary judgment on the ground of qualified immunity in connection with their rejection of requests in 1989 and 1990 by plaintiff Warren Bass, a prisoner, for meals prepared in accordance with the dietary laws of his religion. Defendants contend that though the state of the law requiring compliance with such requests had once been clear, it was beclouded by subsequent Supreme Court decisions. We disagree. At least as early as 1975, it was established that prison officials must provide a prisoner a diet that is consistent with his religious scruples.
See Kahane v. Carlson,
Accordingly, we affirm the denial of defendants’ summary judgment motion substantially for the reasons stated in the district court’s opinion published at
