Supreme Court Rules Against Abercrombie And Fitch In Muslim Hijab Discrimination Case

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of a Muslim woman who was not hired at Abercrombie & Fitch because she wore a religious head covering. The court announced that it had ruled 8-1 that the clothing retailer did not accommodate Samantha Elauf's religious beliefs when it denied her a position because she wore a hijab.

The company did not hire Elauf because she wore the head scarf, which violated its employee dress code. Employers are required to accommodate religious beliefs and are not allowed to fire or not hire people because of those beliefs. Elauf's religion did not come up in her job interview, the Huffington Post reported. The justices decided she did not have to prove that Abercrombie knew the scarf was worn for religious reasons.

"An applicant need show only that his need for an accommodation was a motivating factor in the employer's decision, not that the employer had knowledge of his need," Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority in the decision. Justice Clarence Thomas cast the sole dissenting vote.