Question

Assume you are a lawyer arguing a case in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on the issue of whether or not prisoners can be required to cut their hair short and to have a haircut every month. Your client, an inmate in prison in Louisiana, wants the right to wear his hair long. The Fifth Circuit has not decided a case on the same issue, but your legal research shows that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (for Washington and other states in that circuit) has already decided this issue, saying that prison inmates have a right to have long hair. Will the decision of the Ninth Circuit be of any use to you when arguing your case before the Fifth Circuit? Justify your answer

Answer 1

Yes, the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals can be useful when arguing your case before the Fifth Circuit. While the Fifth Circuit is not bound by the Ninth Circuit's decision, it can still be persuasive authority that supports your argument for your client's right to wear long hair.

Step-by-step explanation: