A spokesman for the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said in a statement that the lawsuit had come to "an appropriate resolution." 

Chris McArdle, one of the lawyers representing the inmates, said that the men were enthused with the outcome:

This is a huge win for them — they are all ecstatic. Keeping our fingers crossed that it’s not cloudy or raining, they are going to be able to practice their sincerely held religious beliefs, which is the outcome we always wanted for them.

The prisoners, held at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Sullivan County, argued in a federal lawsuit that the statewide prison lockdown during the solar eclipse violated their constitutional right to practice their religion. They believed that witnessing the eclipse was a religious event essential to their faiths. The inmates came from different religious backgrounds, ranging from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism to atheism and agnosticism. Yet, they all believed that witnessing the solar eclipse held deep religious significance for their personal faiths. 

Jeremy Zielinski, one of the men who filed the lawsuit, requested permission in January to watch the eclipse from Woodbourne’s main yard. In his written request to prison officials, Zielinski, who is an atheist, said he believed eclipses were times to “celebrate science, reason, and all things Atheism.” After his request was approved in March, other people in the prison expressed their belief that eclipses were religiously significant events to Zielinski. He then asked prison officials if others could be permitted to watch the eclipse alongside him.

Zielinski wrote in that request,

It frankly would be incredibly sad to be the only person able to see this event. Eclipses are important because they inspire awe and deep reflection, and are a rare opportunity for everyone to come together, enjoy our common humanity, and share joy at being alive.

Days later, the corrections department announced that all New York prisons would be locked down during the solar eclipse.

Daniel F. Martuscello III, the department’s acting commissioner, wrote in a statewide memo

Incarcerated individuals will remain in housing units except for emergency situations. 

The memo stated that the lockdown measures were implemented "to ensure the safety of staff, visitors, and the incarcerated population, and to ensure the integrity of our facilities during this event."

The department came to an agreement on Thursday, which McArdle, who represented the inmates pro bono, expressed that he was optimistic about from the onset of the lawsuit.

We were always optimistic we would have a decision this week. I think it was with the court’s help that we got this result with adequate time to spare before the eclipse.

While only the six plaintiffs have been approved at this juncture, McArdle expects that other individuals in prisons across the state could request permission to observe the eclipse for religious reasons, and he anticipated that the department would review those requests similarly to the ones at Woodbourne. 

The solar eclipse path traverses from Mexico on April 8th, entering the United States through Texas, passing through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Additionally, small portions of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse. 

New Yorkers will experience the solar eclipse just after 2 p.m. Monday, with the eclipse's path of totality including 29 counties in northern and western New York. Woodbourne is not within the zone of totality. However, several maximum and medium-security prisons, such as Attica, are situated in areas that will experience the full effect of the eclipse. 

The next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous United States is not expected to happen until 2044.

Safety Note: To protect your eyes during the eclipse, use certified eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer before and after totality. Looking directly at the sun, even for a few seconds, can cause permanent eye damage.