YOKOIS v. SMU ADC SMU COIII SMU (2021)

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.2021-07-30No. No. 19-17077

Summary · law.co

Holding. The court affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment for the ADC officials because Yokois failed to demonstrate that the prison policies substantially burdened his religious exercise.

Douglas Yokois, an Arizona inmate, challenged Department of Corrections policies that he claimed violated his religious freedom under the First Amendment and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. The district court granted summary judgment against him, and Yokois appealed. The appellate court found that Yokois failed to demonstrate that the challenged policies—requiring purchases through authorized vendors and restricting religious materials on his bulletin board outside his cell—substantially burdened his ability to practice his religion. These restrictions amounted to minor inconveniences rather than pressures that would compel him to abandon his beliefs.

The appellate court also upheld the district court's rejection of Yokois' ancillary motions. He did not show that denial of discovery motions caused him actual harm, did not establish exceptional circumstances warranting court-appointed counsel, and sought injunctive relief unrelated to his core religious claims. Additionally, the district court properly recognized it lacked jurisdiction to consider sanctions motions after the notice of appeal transferred control to the appellate court.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

Whether prison policies requiring authorized vendor purchases and restricting bulletin board posting of religious materials substantially burden religious exercise
Whether the district court properly denied motions to compel discovery, appoint counsel, and grant injunctive relief
Whether the district court retained jurisdiction to consider sanctions motions after notice of appeal

Procedural posture

Yokois appealed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of ADC officials on his First Amendment and RLUIPA claims.

Authorities cited

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Opinion · public domain

MEMORANDUM **

Arizona prisoner Douglas Yokois appeals the district courts grant of summary judgment in favor of many Arizona Department of Corrections (“ADC”) officials on his exercise of religion claims under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (“RLUIPA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000cc–2000cc-5. We affirm.

The district court properly granted summary judgment for the ADC officials on Yokois’ Free Exercise Clause and RLUIPA claims because his religious practice was not substantially burdened.

See 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000cc-1(a), 2000cc-2(b); Guru Nanak Sikh Soc. of Yuba City v. County of Sutter, 456 F.3d 978, 987–88 (9th Cir. 2006) (discussing RLUIPA); Jones v. Williams, 791 F.3d 1023, 1031–32 (9th Cir. 2015) (discussing the Free Exercise Clause). ADCs policy requiring inmates to go through authorized vendors to purchase religious items was at most, an inconvenience, and not a substantial burden on Yokois’ ability to acquire religious items. Similarly, the record shows that the ADC policy in question only prevented Yokois from pinning religious materials on his bulletin board while he was outside his cell and not using them. As a result, Yokois did not show that these policies so burdened his right to exercise his religion that he felt pressured to abandon his beliefs. See Hartmann v. Cal. Dept of Corr. & Rehab., 707 F.3d 1114, 1124–25 (9th Cir. 2013).

The district court did not abuse its discretion by denying Yokois’ motions to compel discovery, for appointment of counsel, and for injunctive relief. Yokois did not show that denial of his motions to compel resulted in actual or substantial prejudice to him. See Hallett v. Morgan, 296 F.3d 732, 751 (9th Cir. 2002). Nor did he show any exceptional circumstances requiring appointment of counsel. See Palmer v. Valdez, 560 F.3d 965, 970 (9th Cir. 2009); Terrell v. Brewer, 935 F.2d 1015, 1017 (9th Cir. 1991). And because Yokois requested injunctive relief unrelated to his exercise of religion claims, the district court properly denied his motions for a preliminary injunction. Pac. Radiation Oncology, LLC v. Queens Med. Ctr., 810 F.3d 631, 635–36 (9th Cir. 2015).

Finally, the district court properly determined that it lacked jurisdiction to consider Yokois’ motion for sanctions. Yokois had filed a notice of appeal, which “confer[red] jurisdiction on the court of appeals and divest[ed] the district court of its control over those aspects of the case involved in the appeal.” Griggs v. Provident Consumer Disc. Co., 459 U.S. 56, 58, 103 S. Ct. 400, 402, 74 L. Ed. 2d 225 (1982) (per curiam).

AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. Because the district court properly granted summary judgment for the ADC officials on the merits of Yokois’ claims, we need not and do not consider whether the district court erred when it held that he failed to exhaust administrative remedies for two of them. See Woodford v. Ngo, 548 U.S. 81, 101, 126 S. Ct. 2378, 2392, 165 L. Ed. 2d 368 (2006).

. We note that there was no evidence that ADC officials did hinder Yokois’ ability to litigate his case. Cf. Diamontiney v. Borg, 918 F.2d 793, 796 (9th Cir. 1990).