When it comes to clothing and its relationship to religion, a court ruling will make it harder for company owners and managers to impose dress codes on their workers.

A ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver concludes that Alamo Rent A Car violated federal law by refusing to allow a Muslim woman to wear a scarf during the holy month of Ramadan. The judge rejected a series of arguments by Alamo, including contentions that allowing her to wear the scarf, a clear sign of her religion in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, would cause the business undue hardship.

Mary Jo O'Neill, regional attorney for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said that kind of excuse can get companies into legal hot water. [Link]