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Cooper v. Pate

378 U.S. 546 (1964)

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Cooper v. Pate

United States Supreme Court
378 U.S. 546 (1964)

Facts

Thomas Cooper (plaintiff) was a prisoner in an Illinois state prison. Cooper sued the prison warden, Frank Pate (defendant), in federal district court, contending that the prison’s officials had refused to allow Cooper to purchase certain religious publications and had denied him additional privileges given to other prisoners because the officials did not approve of Cooper’s Muslim religion. Cooper alleged that this religious discrimination violated 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and other provisions of the Civil Rights Act. The warden moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that Cooper’s allegations did not state a valid legal claim. The district court granted the motion. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal, stating that the Muslim religion was inflammatory and posed a serious threat to prison maintenance and order. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)

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