RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A federal appeals court has revived a Virginia inmate’s lawsuit claiming prison officials violated his religious rights.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously ruled Thursday that the dismissal of Jesus Emmanuel Jehovah’s complaint was premature. The court also said a judge erred in dismissing Jehovah’s claim that prison doctors were deliberately indifferent to his medical needs.

Jehovah claims officials at Sussex I Prison violated his rights by prohibiting him from consuming wine during communion, requiring him to work on Sabbath days and assigning him cellmates hostile to Christianity. The appeals court says the claims warrant further examination.

According to the court, Jehovah adheres to his own brand of Christianity based on a version of the Bible that he wrote.

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