Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone

Tag Archives: strict scrutiny

Federal Court Upholds Atlantic City Fire’s No-Beard Rule

The US District Court for the District of New Jersey has upheld the Atlantic City Fire Department’s no-beard policy. The policy had been challenged by a city firefighter, Alexander Smith, on First Amendment, religious, and equal protection grounds. Smith also claims he had been retaliated against for requesting an accommodation.

Three Cases in the Fire Law Headlines

Today’s fire law news left me with a bit of a dilemma. Do I cover one of the most significant Supreme Court decisions in decades even though it does not involve firefighters? Do I cover news reports of a possible lawsuit being brought against FDNY by firefighters even though an actual lawsuit has not been filed? Or do I cover a rather boring public records ruling out of New Jersey that involved a fire department?

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.

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