Fired Jewish Corrections Officer Wins Suit Over Long Beard, Hair

Texas discriminated against a Jewish corrections officer when it fired him because he wouldn’t shave his beard and cut his hair, the Fifth Circuit said.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice should have accommodated Elimelech Shmi Hebrew’s long hair and beard, which he maintained as part of his religious observance, the opinion by Judge Andrew S. Oldham said, reversing the district court’s decision.

Hebrew was hired as a correctional officer in 2019, but when he went to training, he was told he had to cut his hair and shave his beard in compliance with TDCJ’s grooming policy. His request for ...