A Michigan federal court judge denied a group of parents and nonpublic schools’ request for a preliminary injunction that sought to enjoin COVID-19 restrictions the state implemented in November that precluded the school from hosting in-person classes. The one-page opinion from Judge Paul Maloney said the motion was rendered moot
A New York village settled one lawsuit alleging violations of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) while the U.S. Department of Justice filed a new, larger lawsuit against the village alleging a broad, ongoing practice of discriminating against religious land uses. The federal government’s lawsuit alleges that
A group of nonpublic schools has filed suit in Michigan federal court alleging that the state’s Health and Human Services directive that schools remain closed through December 20 violates the First Amendment. The lawsuit was filed on December 7 by the Michigan Association of Nonpublic Schools (MANS), which has since
Just months after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a California religious group’s challenge to COVID-19 restrictions on group worship, the Court blocked such restrictions on religious organizations in New York. The decision, by a 5-4 vote, confirms that the closely divided court has become somewhat unpredictable as to
October 2020
Electronic Sign Permit Denial Did Not Violate RLUIPA
The First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on October 7, 2020 that the Town of Pembroke, New Hampshire did not violate RLUIPA when the town denied an application for an electronic sign permit for religious messages. This ruling affirmed the district court’s dismissal of the case.
In Signs for Jesus and Hillside
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced on September 15, 2020 an agreement with the Borough of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, to resolve allegations that the Borough violated the RLUIPA by denying zoning approval for an Orthodox Jewish congregation to construct a worship center on its