A Muslim woman who was arrested after she refused to remove her headscarf in a west Georgia courthouse filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the city of Douglasville and the officers who arrested her, contending they violated her constitutional rights.
Lisa Valentine said authorities trampled on her First Amendment rights in December 2008 when she was ordered to serve 10 days in jail for contempt of court after she refused to remove her hijab at a courtroom. She was released in less than a day, but her arrest infuriated Muslim rights activists and prompted changes in Georgia's courtroom policy.
[COMMENT] She is not above our law here in the United States. If we are required to turn off cell phones. No shorts. No hats. No flip flops. No gum and NO children are allowed inside the court room. This is the judges house and what he says goes and if he orders her to remove her scarf over her head then she needs to remove the scarf on her head. [Associated Press] Read more
