Solar Eclipse Viewing Granted to Prisoners Following Legal Battle in New York

Six prisoners at a New York state jail will be able to view next week’s complete solar eclipse after suing the correctional department over its decision to shut down facilities for the uncommon event.

The detainees Jeremy Zielinski, Travis Hudson, Bruce Moses, Oscar Nuñez, Jean-Marc Desmarat, and David Haigh filed a federal complaint saying the lockdown decision violates their religious rights.

The complaint defined the solar eclipse as a religiously significant occasion, noting that it is “recognized by various religions as special events that warrant gathering, celebration, worship, and prayer.” The plaintiffs’ legal firm, Alston & Bird, filed a voluntary discontinuance on Thursday, following the settlement.

“We are pleased that, in response to our lawsuit alleging religious discrimination, New York State has entered into a binding settlement agreement that will allow our six clients to view the solar eclipse following their sincerely held religious beliefs,” said Alston & Bird partner Christopher L. McArdle on Thursday.

All six offenders involved in the case are housed at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility, some 110 miles north of New York City. Their religious views and the offenses under which they are serving time differ.

Zielinski, 40, is an atheist who was convicted of first-degree rape, according to the New York Incarcerated Persons Database. He also has prior convictions for advocating sexual performance by a kid and attempting to spread obscene material involving a minor.

Hudson, 50, is a Baptist who was convicted of a course of sexual conduct against a kid.

Moses, 50, is serving a sentence for second-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Nuñez, 49, was found guilty of second-degree attempted murder. Both males practice Santeria.

Desmarat, 53, a Muslim, is in prison for second-degree murder, while Haigh, 49, a Seventh-Day Adventist, was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter. The complaint was spurred by a lockdown order given in March, which said that all New York prisons would work on a holiday schedule on April 8 due to the eclipse.

After April 8, the next solar eclipse will occur in 2044.