ATLANTA — A federal appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision to dismiss the case of a Georgia prison inmate who claimed his religion required vegan meals despite purchasing numerous non-vegan items from the prison store.
Wilcox State Prison inmate Ammon Ra Sumrall was enrolled in the Alternative Entree Program (AEP) due to his religious adherence to the Egyptian sun god. Because of that, he received vegan meals rather than the normal prison fare.
But while he claimed veganism was a part of his religious beliefs, Sumrall was temporarily kicked off the program after prison officials noticed notably non-vegan purchases at the prison store: Cheetos, chili, chicken soup, honey buns and more…