Dept. of Justice lets Georgia off the hook
August 25, 2009 at 1:51 pm by Scott Henry in NewsOh, you thought I was talking about the DOJ exempting the Peach State from the strictures of the Voting Rights Act of 1965? Don’t make me laugh. No, this time the feds have lifted their investigation into whether Georgia courts were discriminating against Muslims, burn victims and the Invisible Man.
Confused? We’ll let Georgia Supreme Court spokesperson Jane Hansen explain:
The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice has closed its review of how Georgia courts handle the wearing of religious head coverings. The review is no longer necessary based on a new policy that permits headgear in court worn for religious or medical reasons, says a recent letter from a Justice Department official. Last month, the Judicial Council of Georgia – the policy-making body of Georgia’s courts – unanimously adopted the measure to take effect in every court in Georgia.
You may recall that, last month, the Judicial Council of Georgia, the policy-making body for Georgia courts, ruled that head-coverings worn for religious or medical purposes — such as the hijab worn by Muslim women — would be allowed in Georgia courtrooms.
Apparently, the issue was raised last year when some doofus city court judge in Douglasville ordered a Muslim woman jailed for contempt of court after she refused to remove her headscarf.
This doesn’t mean you can wear a sombrero or a foam cheesehead hat into court, as Hanson explains:
The new policy balances a court’s security concerns with a person’s right to practice his or her faith in public. Baseball caps and other headgear will continue to be banned from courtrooms, but head coverings worn for religious or medical reasons will be permitted. If a security search is deemed necessary, it can be conducted privately by a security guard of the same gender.
Granted, I didn’t even realize Georgia was under review by the DOJ. But now that we’re free from Big Brother’s oppression, doesn’t it feel good?
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