Sultaana Lakiana Myke Freeman is a resident of the state of Florida, United States. She gained media attention when she sued

Lawsuit

A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...

 the state of Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 in order to wear a face veil

Niqab

A niqab is a cloth which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb...

 for her driver's license

Driver's license

A driver's license/licence , or driving licence is an official document which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a bus, on a public roadway. Most U.S...

 picture.

Background

Born as Sandra Keller in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 in 1967, she attended school in Effingham, Illinois

Effingham, Illinois

Effingham is a city in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,384 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Effingham County....

 and, in 1985, she enrolled at Millikin University

Millikin University

Millikin University is an American co-educational, comprehensive, private, four-year university with traditional undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, fine arts, and professional studies, as well as non-traditional, adult degree-completion programs and graduate programs in...

 in Decatur, Illinois

Decatur, Illinois

Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...

, graduating in 1989 with a degree in Commercial Music and a Business Administration minor. Later in 1989, she began employment at a utility company which lasted for a ten year period, in which she was an engineering assistant.

Freeman converted to Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 in January 1997, initially only wearing the headscarf, but donning the full face veil (niqab

Niqab

A niqab is a cloth which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb...

) by the end of the year. In December 1997, she obtained an Illinois driver's license with the veil, to reflect her new outside appearance and faith.

Timeline

1997

• January - Converts to Islam
• August - Legally changes her name to "Sultaana"
• October - Meets and marries Abdul-Maalik Freeman
• December - Obtains an Illinois driver's license wearing the face veil in the photo and begins regularly veiling her face while working and elsewhere in public

2001

• February - Sultaana Freeman obtains a Florida driver's license wearing the face veil in the photo
• Nov & Dec - Freeman receives two letters demanding her to unveil for a new photo or her current license will be cancelled before expiring

2002

• Jan. 7 - Freeman's license is cancelled
• Jan. 21 - Freeman's lawsuit is filed, represented by lawyer Howard Marks and the American Civil Liberties Union
  American Civil Liberties Union
  The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
  
   (ACLU)
• June 25 - Plaintiff's Response to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss
• June 27 - Orange County Circuit Judge Ted Coleman denies a motion by the state to dismiss Freeman's lawsuit

2003

• May 27–29 - Freeman vs DMV trial takes place in Orlando residing under Circuit Court Judge Janet C. Thorpe
• June 6 - Janet C. Thorpe rules against Freeman
• July 3- Sultaana Freeman appeals
• Oct 31- Freeman files Appellate briefs; awaiting a response from Defendant by the end of the year

2004

• June 9 - Appellate Court Oral arguments

Florida Lawsuit

In 2002, Freeman filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against Florida when the state's Department of Highway Safety suspended her license when she refused to be re-photographed without her veil. Freeman's legal license was suspended without change in policy or law following the September 11, 2001 attacks

September 11, 2001 attacks

The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

.

Freeman's lawsuit argued that her religious beliefs required her to wear a veil "in front of strangers and unrelated males". It also stated that other states allowed photo-free licenses for religious reasons. Judge Janet C. Thorpe denied her lawsuit that year, and a state appeals court later upheld her decision. Freeman has reportedly continued her appeal.

External links

• Unveiling The Florida License Litigator
• The Case of Sultaana Freeman
• Court TV coverage
• Sultaana Freeman vs the Florida DMV, pro-Freeman site
• Freeman's Brief to the Florida Appellate court
• Opinion of the Fifth District Court of Appeal
• Statement of Sultaana LaKiana Myke Freeman
• Opening Statement by Howard Marks for the Plaintiff