Justice Department sues TDCJ for religious discrimination

HOUSTON - The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) related to its denial of a religious accommodation for a former administrative employee.

The complaint alleges a woman worked as a non-uniformed clerk in an administrative building at the Pam Lychner Unit of TDCJ and requested to wear a head covering as an expression of her Ifa faith. The complaint asserts that rather than accommodating her request, TDCJ indefinitely suspended her without pay when she would not remove her head covering, impermissibly questioned the sincerity of her faith and ultimately terminated her employment.

The suit alleges TDCJ's refusal to accommodate her religious practice violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"Religious discrimination in the workplace will not be tolerated in our district," said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. "TDCJ, like any other employer, must reasonably accommodate employees under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

"Employers cannot require employees to forfeit their religious beliefs or improperly question the sincerity of those beliefs," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "This lawsuit is a reminder to all employers of their clear legal obligation to offer reasonable religious accommodations. In our country, employers cannot force an employee to choose between their faith and their job."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Karpati is handling the matter along with Trial Attorney Vendarryl Jenkins of the Civil Rights Division's Employment Litigation Section

Title VII is a federal statute that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex and religion. Title VII also prohibits retaliation against employees who have made a charge, assisted or participated in an investigation, proceeding or hearing under Title VII. Employees with complaints of religious discrimination can report them to their local EEOC office or their state or local fair employment practices agencies. The contact information for each local EEOC office can be found at www.eeoc.gov/field-office.

The full and fair enforcement of Title VII is a top priority of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. More information about the Civil Rights Division and its work is available on its websites at www.justice.gov/crt and www.justice.gov/crt/employment-litigation-section.

The claims asserted in this case are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.