Our Legal Division’s attorneys in the Civil Litigation department filed a complaint against Harris County, Texas, which covers the city of Houston, for forcing a Jewish man to remove his religious head covering while in the County’s custody. The man repeatedly told officers that he wore the head covering for religious reasons. But multiple officers told him he had to remove it anyway, and took his head covering from him. He did not receive it back for just over twelve hours. The officers never made any attempt to accommodate his expressed religious beliefs or offer any alternatives.
All religions deserve respect. And all law enforcement officers have the duty to accommodate sincerely held religious beliefs of those in their custody—without questioning whether the belief seems “accurate” to the officers. The Supreme Court agrees with this, and even Harris County’s own policies require making accommodations for religious head coverings.
Harris County failed to do that. And our attorneys will work to protect his religious rights, and those of everyone in the United States, to practice the tenets of their faiths without unreasonable interference from the government and without judgment.
