6 inmates who sued New York over its prison lockdown order will get to view solar eclipse after all

NEW YORK — Six inmates who sued New York’s corrections department over its decision to lock down prisons during next Monday’s total solar eclipse will get to watch the celestial event after all. Lawyers for the six men incarcerated at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility in upstate New York said Thursday that they’ve reached a settlement with the state that will allow the men to view the solar eclipse “in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs.” They filed a federal suit last week arguing the April 8 lockdown violates inmates’ constitutional rights to practice their faiths by preventing them from taking part in a religiously significant event. Daniel Martuscello III, the department’s acting commissioner, issued a memo last month ordering all incarcerated individuals to remain in their housing units next Monday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., which are generally the normal hours for outdoor recreation in prisons. He said the department will distribute solar eclipse safety glasses for staff and inmates at prisons in the path of totality so they can view the eclipse from their assigned work location or housing units.