By AP
SOUTHFIELD, MI – A Michigan judge is being sued by a woman who says she was forced to remove her Muslim headscarf in his courtroom.
Melanie Elturk, an attorney for the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says the federal lawsuit against Wayne County Circuit Judge William Callahan will be filed Wednesday. The Michigan CAIR chapter is joining in the suit.
Elturk says the woman was told to remove her hijab in Callahan's courtroom in June. The Michigan Supreme Court that month said judges can control the appearance of witnesses.
Elturk says the lawsuit is a challenge to that rule, which was adopted after a Muslim woman refused to remove her face veil while testifying in court.
An e-mail seeking comment was sent to Callahan on Tuesday.