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Souhair Khatib has been fighting to sue her Orange County jailers for some time now, and the Supreme Court has just given the Muslim woman's lawsuit the go-ahead.
Khatib was forced to remove her headscarf when she was booked into jail in November 2006, after she had gone to Orange County Superior Court to request more time to complete a community service sentence and that request was denied.
When Khatib first attempted to file suit in September, 2007, the OC Weekly wrote:
Jail officials say they had her hijab removed because it could have been used to choke someone. But Khatib says she saw another jailed woman wearing fishnet stockings that were not confiscated - couldn't those have been used to choke as well? Hm? Hm?
Today, the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal from OC officials who were dismayed at the earlier ruling that allowed Khatib's suit to move forward. The court "ruled Khatib had the right to wear the scarf unless jailers could show it was a security risk." The lawsuit has faced several legal roadblocks over the past four years.
Also in the OC: Hijab on the Job: Downtown Disney Employee Claims Discrimination