A federal lawsuit filed Monday (March 9, 2026) says what started as a traffic stop for an Atlanta driver turned into a humiliating strip search at the Bartow County Detention Center, where she was allegedly forced to remove her hijab, left naked in front of male officers and photographed without clothes. The suit, brought by 21-year-old Ivana Elliott and backed by the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, names Bartow County Sheriff Clark Millsap and an unnamed detention officer as defendants and claims the experience has caused Elliott ongoing emotional distress.
According to Atlanta News First, Elliott was arrested on April 6, 2025 after a traffic stop on I-75 and told she had to remove her hijab for a booking photo. The complaint says she took off an outer scarf but kept an undercap and asked to be processed in a private area. That request was denied, the filing alleges, and multiple male officers then surrounded her, forced her to the ground and stripped her. Jail records cited in the report state Elliott was released on a $3,350 bond and is facing several misdemeanor charges.
In a press release, CAIR-Georgia, which is representing Elliott along with civil rights attorneys, called what happened a clear violation of religious freedom. CAIR-GA Civil Rights Staff Attorney Keon Grant said, "Our laws are clear: people’s religious rights don’t just disappear at arrest, and people don’t surrender their faith at booking." The group says the lawsuit seeks not only money damages but also policy changes inside the sheriff’s office and the removal of Elliott’s original booking photo.
What the lawsuit alleges
The complaint, as reported by Atlanta News First, lays out a detailed sequence of events inside the jail. It says officers tossed spare clothes at Elliott, warned her they would use a stun gun if she moved, then took away the makeshift hijab she created from issued jail shorts and photographed her without any head covering. The filing argues that forcing her to expose her hair and body served no legitimate security purpose and claims that images of Elliott without her hijab remain stored in the system, which her lawyers say continues to cause her distress. According to the outlet, the sheriff’s office declined to comment on the pending lawsuit.
Legal claims and what Elliott is asking for
The federal lawsuit accuses the sheriff and the detention officer of violating Elliott’s First Amendment and religious rights and asks for a jury trial, financial compensation and institutional reforms at the sheriff’s office. In its announcement, CAIR-Georgia and its co-counsel said they also want county officials to remove Elliott’s original booking photo from all systems. The suit identifies attorneys Gerry Weber and James Slater as co-counsel working with CAIR-GA on the case, according to the group’s statement.
Why ID rules matter
The complaint leans on existing identification standards to argue that what happened to Elliott was unnecessary. It notes that the U.S. Department of State allows religious head coverings in passport photos as long as the full face is visible. The Department’s passport photo guidance says applicants who wear religious headgear should ensure their entire face can be seen and might be asked to provide a signed statement explaining the religious reason for the covering. Elliott’s lawyers say those federal rules undercut any claim that sheriff’s deputies needed to photograph her without her hijab in the name of security.
The case, filed Monday, is the latest in a series of civil rights lawsuits challenging the removal of religious head coverings in custody settings. Court records do not yet list a hearing date, and the plaintiffs’ lawyers say Elliott is prepared to sit for a new booking photo while wearing her hijab. This story will be updated as more court filings and official responses are made public.
