Landor v. Louisiana Dept of Corrections and Public Safety · ¶2

Held: Individuals may not be held liable in their personal capacities under a Spending Clause statute unless those individuals have voluntarily and knowingly consented to answer lawsuits under the statute; because the individual defendants in this case did not voluntarily and knowingly consent to face RLUIPA liability in an agreement with the federal government, Mr. Landor’s case cannot proceed against them. Pp. 3–18. (a) While the Constitution’s “Spending Clause,” Art. I, §8, cl. 1, may confer on Congress the power to spend money for the general welfare, it does not “endow Congress with [any] power to regulate conduct.” Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, 606 U. S. 357, 370. Congress may attach conditions to the funds it distributes, and if a recipient “violates those conditions,” Congress typically may “terminate” its agreement to provide funds. Id., at 365–366 (internal…

slip opinion, revised 6/28/26
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