The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office is changing its policies regarding religious head coverings at the courthouses or in jail.
Hedy Weinberg, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, said in a news release Tuesday the sheriff’s office rewrote its policies after the ACLU contended current practices violate the First Amendment and federal and state law.
Weinberg said a Muslim woman said she was required to remove her religious headscarf for a booking photo and a Muslim man was ordered to remove his head covering before he could enter a courthouse.
Karla Weikal, a sheriff’s spokeswoman, said under the new policy, two booking photos can be taken, one including religious head coverings and one without.
The second change allows people visiting the courthouse to wear religious head coverings after a security screening.