The ACLU brought suit on behalf of Curtis DeVeaux, a Muslim firefighter, after he was suspended from his position in the Philadelphia Fire Department for refusing to shave his beard as required by Fire Department regulations. Mr. DeVeaux ceased shaving in the summer of 2004 and made both formal and informal requests for a religious exemption from the Department's "no beard" policy in October and December of 2004. Instead of responding to his request for an exemption, the Department suspended him from duty on February 2, 2005.
