Civil Rights
Sep. 30, 2025
CHP's no-beard policy faces legal test over religious rights
A Sacramento judge is weighing whether the California Highway Patrol's decades-old beard ban unlawfully discriminates against Sikh officers whose faith requires uncut facial hair.
Attorneys for two California state agencies faced off Monday in a Sacramento courtroom over whether the California Highway Patrol may require officers to shave their beards for safety reasons--or whether that policy unlawfully discriminates against Sikh officers whose faith forbids them from cutting their facial hair.
The case has drawn attention as a clash between workplace safety rules and religious freedom within California's most visible law enforcement agency. Sacramento...
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