A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit filed by a Jewish prison inmate claiming the Florida Department of Corrections violated his rights by refusing to serve kosher meals.
Although the state has now changed its policy, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a lower court judge should reconsider the lawsuit filed by Union Correctional Institution inmate Bruce Rich. The lawsuit was previously dismissed for lack of evidence.
Florida stopped serving kosher meals in 2007. Rich filed his lawsuit in 2010, and last year the U.S. Justice Department also sued to restore the kosher meals. That case is still pending in a South Florida federal court.
Earlier this year Florida announced it would resume a kosher meals program statewide by September.
