(Courthouse News) Several justices with the U.S. Supreme Court hinted Tuesday that a law protecting religious freedoms includes a subtext that would allow individuals to sue government agents for money damages.
In the underlying 2013 suit, Muhammad Tanvir accused FBI agents of violating the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) by placing him and two others on the no-fly list without any evidence they posed a threat to aviation safety. Tanvir says his inclusion on the list was payback from the FBI after he refused to serve as an informant about other Muslims.
A truck driver living in Queens, Tanvir learned of his inclusion on the list after completing a delivery in Atlanta and then trying to fly back to New York. He said agents told him he would be removed from the list if [he] decided to cooperate.
