Muslim Woman Sues Tennessee Sheriff Over Forced Hijab Removal During Booking
A woman from Knox County, Tennessee, has initiated a federal lawsuit against the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Jimmy Davis.
The complaint says she was arrested on Dec. 18, 2024, and later required to remove her hijab during the booking process the next day.
Her attorneys contend that the office’s own policy allows detainees to keep religious head coverings in photos if they do not block the view of the face and profile.
They argue her hijab did not obscure her face and that she felt ashamed and distressed, particularly because a male officer was present when the photos were taken.
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After her release, the lawsuit says the booking photos were retained and have already been shared with county personnel, deepening her ongoing concern.
The complaint seeks monetary damages to be determined at trial, reimbursement of legal costs, and attorney fees. The sheriff’s office has so far declined to comment.
In the United States, legal standards generally protect the right to wear religious apparel in official photographs when the face is fully visible.
Federal law such as the First Amendment and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act often underpins these protections, and many jurisdictions have adopted policies allowing religious head coverings in booking photos, subject to security needs.
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Several cases in 2024 and 2025 resulted in changes or settlements protecting these rights. In Rutherford County, Tennessee, a Muslim woman secured a $100,000 settlement and revisions to booking policies after she was previously forced to remove her hijab, with the county also agreeing to delete her photos from records.
In New York, a class-action lawsuit by Muslim women ended with the city agreeing to pay $17.5 million and to allow religious head coverings in arrest photos, a change that extends to other faiths’ garments such as yarmulkes and turbans.
Source: Agencies
