Judge orders organic food for 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley, who claims his 'shamanic' beliefs require it
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth agreed Wednesday to a request from Jacob Chansley, the 33-year-old "QAnon Shaman" arrested for participation in the Jan. 6 violent siege of the U.S. Capitol, that he be served only organic food in the D.C. correctional facility. Chansley's "shamanic belief system and way of life" includes a strict organic diet, his lawyer Albert Watkins wrote in a brief Wednesday, and if his client eats foods with "unnatural chemicals," the result is "systemic responses that are not simply discomforting, but debilitating and, notably, dehydrating."
Watkins said Chansley, who also goes by the name Jake Angeli, has not eaten since Jan. 25 and has lost more than 20 pounds in jail. Eric Glover, general counsel for the D.C. Department of Corrections, said Tuesday it isn't true that Chansley has fasted for more than a week. The Department of Corrections said in a filing Monday that his request for organic food had no "religious merit," and the department elaborated on Wednesday, saying an exclusively organic diet "is a tenet of that religion."
Chansley, a resident of Phoenix, was one of a handful of rioters filmed storming the Senate chamber and sitting in former Vice President Mike Pence's seat, and his distinctive garb made him one of the first people arrested. Federal authorities say he admitted to leaving a note for "child-trafficking traitor" Pence, saying: "It's only a matter of time, justice is coming." He told the FBI that wasn't meant as a threat.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a handwritten note, Chansley told the court he's eaten almost exclusively "traditional food that has been made by God" for eight years, and he "humbly" requested "a few organic canned vegetables, canned tuna (wild caught), or organic canned soups," adding: "I will continue to pray through the pain and do my best not to complain. I simply ask that you understand that the physical effects of not eating organic are harmful to my body & bio-chemistry."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaine
In the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
By The Week UK Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the rise and fall of Matt Gaetz
Cartoons Artists take on age brackets, backbiting, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The future of X
Talking Point Trump's ascendancy is reviving the platform's coffers, whether or not a merger is on the cards
By The Week UK Published
-
DOJ demands changes at 'abhorrent' Atlanta jail
Speed Read Georgia's Fulton County Jail subjects inmates to 'unconstitutional' conditions, the 16-month investigation found
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
China tries to bury deadly car attack
Speed Read An SUV drove into a crowd of people in Zhuhai, killing and injuring dozens — but news of the attack has been censored
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Menendez brothers may go free in LA prosecutor plan
Speed Read Prosecutors are asking for the brothers to be resentenced for the 1989 murder of their parents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminder
Speed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years
Speed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market guns
Speed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraud
Speed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published