Plaintiff Michael Salman wanted to hold Bible studies in his home and nothing, not even the prospects of a Phoenix 
municipal enforcement action, 60 days in jail, and $12,000 in fines would stop him. In 2007, Salman’s neighbors complained that he was hosting large Bible studies in his home. The City sent several letters to
Satanists Score Victory in Phoenix
The Phoenix City Council has voted to abolish a 65-year practice of opening meetings with religious prayer. Now, the meetings will begin with a moment of silence. The vote was prompted by a request from the Satanic Temple of Tucson to lead the February 17 meeting with its own prayer. The City Council decided that
Is a permit requirement for door-to-door solicitation a violation of the 1st Amendment?
The Arkansas-Louisiana Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists (the “Adventists”) filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Arkansas, contending that a local ordinance in White Hall, Arkansas (the “City”) restricts its right to religious speech. The ordinance requires that anyone wishing to solicit door-to-door obtain a permit from the City. The Complaint in Arkansas-Louisiana Conference of
Fourth Circuit: Church Never had Reasonable Expectation to Use Property as Place of Worship
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 Persons Act (RLUIPA). In 2012, a religious congregation, Reconciling People Together in Faith Ministries, LLC (the “Congregation”), was formed in the
Rhode Island Town Sued for Religious Discrimination
The King’s Tabernacle, a Rhode Island Church with a predominantly African American congregation of 20 members, has sued the Town of Johnston, Rhode Island over the Town’s denial of its special use permit for religious assembly use. According to King’s Tabernacle, “[i]n early 2015, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Church set out
USPS Sued for Seizing Sacramental Marijuana
Oklevueha Native American Church (Church) was established in 1997 in Utah by Plaintiff James Mooney and his wife Linda, who are each of Native American decent. According to the complaint in Oklevueha Native American Church v. United States of America, Case 3:16-cv-00077 (D. OR, Jan. 15, 2015), the Church has thousands of members and
Yeshiva Sues New Jersey Township for Religious Discrimination
Yeshiva Gedola Na’os Yaakov, Inc. (the “Yeshiva”) has filed a federal lawsuit against the Township of Ocean, New Jersey and the Township’s Zoning Board of Adjustment following the denial of an application to develop a yeshiva with boarding facilities for 96 male students between the ages 18 and 22 in a residential zone, to allow
Is a Parsonage a Primary Use? NJ District Court Ponders the Question
Christian Community Chapel Wesleyan Church, Inc. (the “Chapel”) was founded in 2000 and grew quickly to 125 members. Expecting continued growth, the Chapel purchased a 33,000 square foot building with seats for 600 worshipers. Unfortunately for the Chapel, its membership fluctuated greatly over the next ten years, at one point dropping to 35 members. Its
SCOTUS Non-Land Use Case Could Impact Land Use
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a request to review a church’s claim that the state of Missouri violated the federal constitution by prohibiting religious groups from obtaining state funding because of their religious nature. The case involves Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, which runs a preschool and daycare in Missouri that is open
Zombie Case Just Won’t Die
It’s maybe one of our favorite blog posts titles of all time: “Zombies Outshine Satan? More Controversial Holiday Displays, Including Baby, Fanged, Undead Jesus and Dogs in Costumes.” The case of Baby, Fanged, Undead Jesus continues after Sycamore Township, Ohio fined Jasen Dixon, curator of the undead scene, for constructing an illegal structure in his