The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office will allow women lodged in the downtown Portland jail to keep wearing a religious headcovering for their primary booking photo.
Jailers previously ordered women to remove their burkas and hijabs prior to being photographed in the basement intake center. Those expected to linger in the jail longer than a few hours were provided a towel for use during their stay.
The policy violated some versions of the Muslim faith that instruct women to always cover their head with a shawl while in public or in the presence of men and prompted a 2025 lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oregon from the Council on American-Islamic Relations…