[JURIST] A German state court in Hesse on Monday upheld a ban on religious headscarves for public school teachers and civil servants. The government in Hesse [government website], which includes Frankfurt, passed the headscarf ban [JURIST news archive] in 2004. The ban includes other items of clothing which could be seen as religious or political, but has an exemption for Christian symbols. The ban was challenged as unconstitutional under the state constitution, but the court ruled Monday that the government has the authority to ban garments worn by public servants.

Headscarf bans have been upheld in other German state courts, including in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria [JURIST reports]. In 2006, however, a court in Baden-Wuerttemberg struck down a 2004 ban [JURIST report], ruling that the ban was being enforced in a discriminatory manner. AP has more.