License Requirement For Photo Without Veil Upheld

Yesterday, a Florida state Court of Appeals rejected the claim of a Muslim woman that that the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles had violated the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act when it required that she be photographed without her veil in order to keep her Florida driver's license. In Freeman v. Dept. of Hwy. Safety & Motor Vehicles, the court held that the photo requirement did not place a substantial burden on Freeman’s religious exercise since the Department was willing to accommodate her beliefs by having her photographed by a female photographer with no one else present in the room.