The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana is dismissing its religious freedom lawsuit against the Boone County Sheriff’s Office after the county jail implemented plans to offer inmates the option of a halal diet.
The ACLU in August employed the state’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act in a complaint that alleged staff at the Boone County Jail violated the rights of a Muslim inmate when they refused to supply him with food that adheres to a halal diet, which excludes pork and includes other meat only if it is slaughtered under certain conditions. The suit also alleged the sheriff’s office violated the First Amendment rights of the inmate, Gannon Thomas.
It was among early uses of the state’s religious freedom law, which Gov. Mike Pence signed in 2015 amid controversy that placed the state in the national spotlight because some opponents believed it could be twisted to discriminate against gay and lesbian Hoosiers. Experts, though, said this suit represents the type of claim such laws are meant to address.
The Boone County Jail has adopted a six-week halal meal plan that includes necessary proteins and nutrients, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Wednesday. The meal plan follows a vegetarian diet that includes bread, cheese, rice, fruits and vegetables.
ACLU staff attorney Ken Falk filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was granted by a federal judge Friday.
Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen said in a statement that his office conducted an internal investigation and consulted a nutritionist about the diet.
“The Boone County Sheriff’s Office continuously strives to provide safe and secure detention while respecting each inmate’s constitutional rights,” he said in the statement.