SACRAMENTO, California - California's attorney general says religious beliefs aren't enough to trump a corrections department ban on prison guards wearing beards.

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Attorney General Kamala Harris says in a Sacramento County Superior Court filing that Trilochan Oberoi can't be properly fitted for a gas mask if he keeps the facial hair required by his Sikh religion.

Harris says no exceptions have been granted since the policy took effect in 2004. She's asking that Oberoi's lawsuit be dismissed.

Civil rights organizations sent a letter to Harris on Tuesday asking her to reconsider her opposition.

They say the correction department's regulations let guards wear beards for certain medical conditions.

A hearing on Harris' motion is set for April 19.