Court upholds ban on veil in license photo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A Muslim woman who, for religious reasons, wanted to wear a veil in her driver's license photo must follow a Florida law that requires a picture of her full face, a state appeals court ruled.
The Fifth District Court of Appeal upheld a 2003 ruling by an Orlando judge that Sultaana Freeman's right to free exercise of religion would not be burdened by the photo requirement.
''We recognized the tension created as a result of choosing between following the dictates of one's religion and the mandates of secular law," Appellate Judge Emerson R. Thompson Jr. wrote in Friday's opinion. ''However, as long as the laws are neutral and generally applicable to the citizenry, they must be obeyed."
Freeman's attorney, Howard Marks, said he might appeal. He said the ruling didn't respect the state constitution's guarantee of religious freedom.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issued Freeman, 38, a license in 2001 showing her veiled with only her eyes visible, but later suspended it. Freeman sued, arguing the suspension infringed upon her First Amendment rights.
In 2003, Circuit Judge Janet C. Thorpe agreed with authorities that letting people show only their eyes would undermine efforts to stop terrorists. That same year, Governor Jeb Bush signed legislation requiring a picture of a driver's full face on a license. 