Supreme Court rules prisoners may not seek monetary damages for violation of rights

[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website; JURIST news archive] on Wednesday ruled [opinion, PDF] 6-2 in Sossamon v. Texas [Cornell LII Backgrounder] that states do not consent to waive their sovereign immunity to private suits for money damages under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) [42 USC 2000cc, text]. Petitioner Harvey Sossamon sought injunctive and monetary relief from the state of Texas under RLUIPA for prison policies that prohibited him from using the prison chapel…