Six men suing New York Department of Corrections will see solar eclipse

Six inmates suing the New York Department of Corrections over its decision to lock down their prisons during next Sunday’s total eclipse will finally get a chance to view the celestial event.

Lawyers for six men incarcerated at Woodburn Correctional Facility in upstate New York said Thursday they had reached a settlement with the state that would allow the men to view the solar eclipse “in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

They filed a federal lawsuit last week arguing that the April 8 lockdown violated inmates’ constitutional rights to practice their faith by preventing them from attending major religious events. The six included a Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-day Adventist, two Santeria and an atheist.

Department of Corrections spokesman Thomas Miley said the department has agreed to allow the six to view the eclipse, and the plaintiffs have agreed to drop the lawsuit with prejudice.

“The lawsuit was appropriately resolved,” he added in an emailed statement.

The department said earlier this week it would consider all requests for religious accommodations and was currently reviewing requests related to viewing the eclipse.

The department’s acting commissioner, Daniel Martuscello III, issued a memo last month ordering all incarcerated people to remain in their housing units, which are typically jails, next Monday from 2 to 5 p.m. Normal hours for outdoor recreation.

He said the department will distribute eclipse safety glasses to prison staff and inmates in the path of the total solar eclipse so they can view the eclipse from their designated workstations or housing units.

Communities in the western and northern parts of the state are expected to get their best viewing moments when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, temporarily obscuring its parent star.