WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will consider whether retailer Abercrombie & Fitch's refusal to hire a woman wearing a Muslim headscarf was religious discrimination.
A lower court said the New Albany, Ohio-based company didn't discriminate against the job applicant because she didn't' say she needed a religious accommodation.
But the Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear the Obama administration's appeal.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had sued on behalf of Samantha Elauf. The agency contended that Elauf wasn't hired at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, store because her hijab violated Abercrombie's dress code.
The company later changed its dress rules.
A federal judge initially sided with the government.
But an appeals court reversed that decision, saying Elauf never specifically requested a religious accommodation even though she was wearing the headscarf during her interview.