NASHVILLE (AP) — A federal magistrate has recommended dismissal of a former Sumner County Jail inmate's lawsuit over a ban on Islamic head coverings.

In his February lawsuit, Horatio D. Burford claimed his constitutional rights were abridged by the policy. He sued Sheriff Sonny Weatherford and Jail Administrator Sonya Troutt, not seeking money, but asking that the court allow adherents of Islam to wear kufis in the jail, according to The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/vuOClw ).

In a written opinion, U.S. Magistrate Judge Juliet Griffin has recommended the court throw out the lawsuit, saying it is without merit and noting that Burford was allowed to have a copy of the Koran and a prayer rug in his cell. She found the head covering ban was "valid and constitutional."

The magistrate also noted Burford is now held at the Morgan County Regional Correctional Facility and his lawsuit is moot.