It seems a little strange that the Geo Group Inc., the private firm that runs our local prison, would invite a civil rights lawsuit by denying a female Muslim worker's right to a head scarf on the job.

But then it is a little strange to have a private firm running our county prison.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for it.

One of the good things about having a private company there is they're the one's who get sue when they make decisions like this one. If the woman collects, it's their insurance carrier who pays not the one paid for by us taxpayers.

Could Geo have made the decision to accommodate the employee's religious dress habits? Yeah. Is it required to by law. I'm not sure but I doubt it.

Today, it was reported that the Supreme Court turned down the appeal of woman in a similar case against the Alamo rental car company. But the facts were a little different. That head-scarf wearing woman was told she was going to be reassigned in her job and since she suffered no economic loss a jury award more than $250,000 was overturned by an appeals court.

If there had been a true economic loss the court might have ruled differently. Here the woman was given the choice of not wearing her head scarf or be fired.

Anyway, if Geo thinks enforcing its dress code is important enough to defend it in court, that's their decision to make. I'm sure there are decent security reasons to want uniformity in what their people wear.

They can tell their reasons to a judge and jury and pay their lawyers to do it.

UPDATE: Speaking of prison lawsuits, I just came across this old one. (Scroll down a little to find it.)

I'm glad they won it. And before you call me a religious bigot or hypocrite, I'd root for any Muslim worker forced to undergo the same sort of "diversity training."