Further Order In Case of DC Muslim Firefighters' Beards

In Potter v. District of Columbia (US Dist. Ct. D.C., Aug. 11, 2005), the court issued a Memorandum and an Order in the long-running dispute between Muslim firefighters who wish to wear beards for religious reasons, and the DC fire department that argues it is impossible to use certain face masks with a beard. Judge James Robertson ordered the fire department to allow plaintiffs to take an appropriate face-fit test despite the department's argument that reliable tests are impossible because of day-to-day variability of hair length on beards.