Inmates who say they’re being denied their right to practice their Native Hawaiian religion at a private prison in Arizona have won class-action status for a lawsuit.

U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Kobayashi granted class-action certification to inmates suing the state of Hawaii and the Corrections Corporation of America.

The class covers inmates who follow Native Hawaiian spiritual practices and are serving sentences at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Ariz.

Kobayashi’s ruling Tuesday said 179 inmates at Saguaro have registered as practitioners of Native Hawaiian religion.

Eight inmates sued in 2011 after prison officials prevented them from gathering for daily outdoor worship and confiscated objects vital to their religious practice, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation said Friday in a news release.