Michigan Judges Given Control Over Dress in Court

The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that judges may require women to remove their veils in court.
Michigan Judges Given Control Over Dress in Court
A Michigan Supreme Court ruling could force Muslim women to remove their veils in court. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
6/18/2009
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/niqab.jpg" alt="A Michigan Supreme Court ruling could force Muslim women to remove their veils in court. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)" title="A Michigan Supreme Court ruling could force Muslim women to remove their veils in court. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1827837"/></a>
A Michigan Supreme Court ruling could force Muslim women to remove their veils in court. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that judges may require women to remove their veils in court.

The statewide regulation, approved in a 5 to 2 vote, would allow the judges some control over what they perceive as impediments to making their decisions, according to Michigan media. The two dissenting judges argued that exceptions should be made in the case of religious beliefs.

In a 2006 case, a Muslim woman from Detroit sued the district judge for dismissing a the small claims case she had filed. Her case was dropped because she refused to remove her niqab at the judge’s request. The niqab covers all but a women’s eyes.

The judge ordered the veil’s removal so that he could better access her truthfulness.

The court agreed with Judge Paul Paruk on June 17 in a ruling that allows judges some control over the dress of parties or witnesses in their courts. The intent is to enable accurate identification and better assessment of demeanor.
Sharon writes theater reviews, opinion pieces on our culture, and the classics series. Classics: Looking Forward Looking Backward: Practitioners involved with the classical arts respond to why they think the texts, forms, and methods of the classics are worth keeping and why they continue to look to the past for that which inspires and speaks to us. To see the full series, see ept.ms/LookingAtClassics.
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