Read previewA rare solar eclipse will soon cross the United States — and six inmates at a New York prison are so desperate to witness the phenomenon that they're suing the state corrections department over it.
Related storiesThe lawsuit argues that the corrections department's decision to lock down its prisons statewide on April 8 "illegally prohibits" the group of inmates from observing the solar eclipse.
Though Woodbourne Correctional Facility is not included on that list, an interactive map by NASA shows that the prison will be impacted by the solar eclipse.
No inmates will be allowed outside to watch the solar eclipse, according to Mailey.
The lawsuit says that the atheist plaintiff was granted a special request to view the solar eclipse, but that was before the lockdown rules were put in place.
Persons:
—, they're, Sharon Steinerman, Alston, Bird, Thomas Mailey, Mailey
Organizations:
Service, Business, of Corrections, Adventist, Department of Corrections, Community Supervision, Woodbourne, NASA
Locations:
United States, New York, Woodbourne, Sullivan County