The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a church’s claim that denial of a setback variance substantially burdened its religious exercise under the Religious Land Use & Institutionalized...more
In 2005, the Village of Lawrence (Village) granted permission to Bais Medrash of Harborview Synagogue (Medrash) to construct a synagogue on three contiguous lots. As part of its approval, Medrash entered a Declaration of...more
The Ninth Circuit, in Mesquite Grove Chapel v. Debonis, recently issued an important decision ruling that plaintiff Chapel did not suffer a substantial burden on its religious exercise under the Religious Land Use &...more
Earlier this year, we reported on the dismissal of Michigan Islamic Academy’s (“MIA”) RLUIPA suit against Pittsfield Charter Township. According to the District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, MIA did not have a...more
A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by New Life Evangelistic Center, Inc. against the City of St. Louis because New Life’s claims are not yet “ripe” for review. In order for a court to have jurisdiction to hear...more
What is Religious Exercise? remains a prevalent question in religious land use news this week. Below, find our semi-regular summary of news items involving local government, religion, and land use....more
10/26/2015
/ American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Freedom From Religion Foundation ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Public Housing ,
Religious Displays ,
Religious Expression ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Institutions ,
RLUIPA ,
Zoning Laws
In last week’s, RLUIPA Round-Up we reported about the case Hale v. Federal Bureau of Prisons (D. CO 2015) in which the court found that the Church of the Creator – a white supremacist movement that advocates “total racial...more
More than a year ago, we reported on an important decision for municipal officials by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in American Islamic Center v. City of Des Plaines, No. 13-C-6594...more
Below are news items from the past week involving local government, religion, and land use that may be of interest to our readers.
- The New York Times reports that the Ten Commandments monument on the Oklahoma Capitol...more
10/12/2015
/ Churches ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
OK Supreme Court ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Displays ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
RLUIPA ,
Special Use Permit ,
Zoning Laws
Almost a year ago, we reported on The Bensalem Masjid, Inc.’s lawsuit against Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania following the Township’s denial of Masjid’s use variance application to build a 16,900-square foot mosque,...more
Independence Day—no better time to reflect on the numerous (enumerated and unenumerated) rights protected by our United States Constitution. Thanks to Obergefell v. Hodges, those rights are now more clearly focused. However,...more
7/3/2015
/ Churches ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Marriage ,
Marriage Equality ,
Obergefell v. Hodges ,
Permits ,
Religious Accommodation ,
RLUIPA ,
Same-Sex Marriage ,
SCOTUS ,
Zoning Laws
The Danbury Zoning Board of Appeals denied a church’s application for variances to develop an 18-acre parcel with a house of worship and priest residence. Now, Danbury could join the list of Connecticut municipalities that...more
Last week, we reported on the potential impact of Reed v. Gilbert, the sign regulation case that has municipalities across the nation concerned about the enforceability of local sign ordinances. This week, we’re happy to...more
7/1/2015
/ Churches ,
Commercial Speech ,
Content-Neutral ,
First Amendment ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Local Ordinance ,
Municipalities ,
Reed v Town of Gilbert ,
RLUIPA ,
Signs ,
Zoning Laws
Although the case is outside the RLUIPA realm or even specific to religious-based speech, the Supreme Court’s decision last week in Reed v. Gilbert will undoubtedly impact RLUIPA Defense readers. We previously reported on the...more
We’re a little late with the round-up, but promise to continue our effort to bring you interesting stories from the intersection of religion and government.
- Mayfair, Pennsylvania residents feel disappointment after...more
We bring you more interesting news from the world of land use, religion and government:
The Chicago Tribune reports that the Village of La Grange, Illinois Planning Commission is considering a proposed zoning code...more
Every so often RLUIPA Defense feels the need to expand its reporting horizons. We usually stick to run-of-the-mill, pending or threatened litigation related to religious-land uses and RLUIPA. Sometimes we stray a bit and...more
In Bey v. City of Tampa Code Enforcement (11th Cir. 2015), the plaintiff Nura Washington Bey (“Washington”) sued the City of Tampa and its Code Enforcement Officer, Steven Mateyka, after Mateyka cited Washington in connection...more