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Six inmates at a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/northeast/new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York state prison</a> will be allowed to watch next week's total solar eclipse after they sued the corrections department following its decision to lock down facilities during the rare event.The inmates – Jeremy Zielinski, Travis Hudson, Bruce Moses, Oscar Nuñez, Jean Marc Desmarat and David Haigh – filed a federal lawsuit after claiming the lockdown decision infringes on their religious rights.The complaint described the solar eclipse as a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/religion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">religiously significant event</a> and said it is "recognized by various religions as special events that warrant gathering, celebration, worship, and prayer."A settlement allowing the inmates to view the event was reached with the state Department of Corrections on Thursday.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-inmates-sue-corrections-department-watch-solar-eclipse-planned-prison-lockdowns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NEW YORK INMATES SUE CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT TO WATCH SOLAR ECLIPSE AMID PLANNED PRISON LOCKDOWNS</a>Alston &amp; Bird, the law firm working for the plaintiffs, 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 in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs," a statement from Christopher L. McArdle, Alston &amp; Bird partner, read Thursday.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/solar-eclipse-safety-drivers-should-not-do-road-rare-event" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FOR SOLAR ECLIPSE SAFETY, HERE'S WHAT DRIVERS SHOULD NOT DO ON THE ROAD DURING THE RARE EVENT</a>All six inmates involved in the matter are incarcerated at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility, which is about 110 miles north of New York City. Their religious beliefs and the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charges for which they are serving time</a> vary.Zielinski, 40, is an atheist who was convicted of first-degree rape, according to the New York incarcerated persons database. He also has priors for promoting sexual performance by a child and attempting to disseminate indecent material of a minor. Hudson, 50, is a Baptist who was convicted for course of sexual conduct against a child. Moses, 50, is serving time for second-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Nuñez, 49, was convicted of second-degree attempted murder. Both men practice Santeria.Desmarat, 53, a Muslim, is behind bars for second-degree murder and Haigh, 49, a Seventh Day Adventist, was convicted of first-degree manslaughter.The lockdown decision that prompted the lawsuit was issued in March and stated that all prisons in New York would operate on a holiday schedule on April 8 because of the eclipse.After April 8, the next <a href="https://www.foxweather.com/category/solar-eclipse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">solar eclipse</a> will take place in 2044.Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

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title: New York inmates will be able to view total solar eclipse after lawsuit settled
 with corrections department
summary: Six New York inmates will be able to see the total solar eclipse after reaching
 a settlement with the corrections department following a lawsuit claiming violation
 of religious rights.
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content: Six inmates at a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/northeast/new-york"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York state prison</a> will be allowed to watch
 next week's total solar eclipse after they sued the corrections department following
 its decision to lock down facilities during the rare event.The inmates –
 Jeremy Zielinski, Travis Hudson, Bruce Moses, Oscar Nuñez, Jean Marc Desmarat and
 David Haigh – filed a federal lawsuit after claiming the lockdown decision infringes
 on their religious rights.The complaint described the solar eclipse as a
 <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/religion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">religiously
 significant event</a> and said it is "recognized by various religions as special
 events that warrant gathering, celebration, worship, and prayer."A settlement
 allowing the inmates to view the event was reached with the state Department of
 Corrections on Thursday.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-inmates-sue-corrections-department-watch-solar-eclipse-planned-prison-lockdowns"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">NEW YORK INMATES SUE CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT
 TO WATCH SOLAR ECLIPSE AMID PLANNED PRISON LOCKDOWNS</a>Alston &amp;
 Bird, the law firm working for the plaintiffs, 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
 in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs," a statement from Christopher
 L. McArdle, Alston &amp; Bird partner, read Thursday.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/solar-eclipse-safety-drivers-should-not-do-road-rare-event"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">FOR SOLAR ECLIPSE SAFETY, HERE'S WHAT
 DRIVERS SHOULD NOT DO ON THE ROAD DURING THE RARE EVENT</a>All
 six inmates involved in the matter are incarcerated at the Woodbourne Correctional
 Facility, which is about 110 miles north of New York City. Their religious beliefs
 and the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charges
 for which they are serving time</a> vary.Zielinski, 40, is an atheist who
 was convicted of first-degree rape, according to the New York incarcerated persons
 database. He also has priors for promoting sexual performance by a child and attempting
 to disseminate indecent material of a minor. Hudson, 50, is a Baptist who
 was convicted for course of sexual conduct against a child. Moses, 50, is
 serving time for second-degree assault, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon
 and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Nuñez, 49, was convicted of second-degree
 attempted murder. Both men practice Santeria.Desmarat, 53, a Muslim, is behind
 bars for second-degree murder and Haigh, 49, a Seventh Day Adventist, was convicted
 of first-degree manslaughter.The lockdown decision that prompted the lawsuit
 was issued in March and stated that all prisons in New York would operate on a holiday
 schedule on April 8 because of the eclipse.After April 8, the next <a href="https://www.foxweather.com/category/solar-eclipse"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">solar eclipse</a> will take place in 2044.Fox
 News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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 newspaper: US - Fox News
 macro_region: USA
url: https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-inmates-view-total-solar-eclipse-lawsuit-settled-corrections-department
image: https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/03/931/523/iStock-1480498138.jpg?ve=1&tl=1
published: 2024-04-05 05:51:49.000000000 Z

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