A Christmas display sparks legal battle over religious freedom. The Ninth Circuit partially reverses ruling against festive homeowners.
A Festive Fight: 9th Circuit Rules on HOA’s Christmas Conflict Read More »
In Ocean Grove, New Jersey, a century-old tradition faces modern legal challenges. The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist group, founded a Christian seaside retreat in 1869. The Association owns all the land in the town, including the beach, which it has historically closed on Sunday mornings for worship services.
Ocean Grove’s Beach Battle: A Church’s Tradition vs. Beach Access Law Read More »
Explore the paradoxical enforcement of laws in cities like San Francisco, where parking violations are strictly punished while dangerous property damage from outdoor fires goes unaddressed.
Uneven Approach to Law is Threat to Survival of America’s Cities Read More »
A federal court in the San Francisco Bay Area has determined that churches do not contribute to a vibrant and fun atmosphere and therefore may be excluded from Salinas’ downtown area.
Federal Court rules church can be excluded from California city downtown area Read More »
This week the Supreme Court denied certiorari in a case where nuns filed their Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) case opposing a pipeline across their property in the wrong venue and ignored the required dispute resolution process.
Parties objecting to regulatory decision must follow administrative process Read More »
A camel, goats, 200,000 lights, and hundreds of people being Shuttled into your neighborhood to meet Santa Claus? HOA says, “No Thanks” and gets slapped with a religious discrimination lawsuit, and the jury rules against the HOA.
Idaho Jury Finds HOA Discriminated Against Religion in Christmas House Case Read More »
Last year, the Los Angeles Archdiocese agreed to sell a former convent belonging to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary to pop singer Katy Perry for $14.5 million in cash. At the same time, the nuns agreed to sell the property to restaurateur Dana Hollister for $15.5 million. Now it’s up to a court to decide which of these sales will go through.
Religious Property Dispute- Katy Perry v. the Nuns v. a Restaurateur v. the Archdiocese Read More »
fter a lengthy legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously (see Reed v. Gilbert , decided June 18, 2015) that a town cannot bar church signs when it allows similar signs promoting political or ideological viewpoints. In 2007,
Supreme Court Rules Sign Ordinance Adversely Affecting Church Fails Strict Scrutiny Read More »
By Michael Peabody – Last November, a federal judge stuck a stick in a beehive when she found that a long-standing tax-exemption for clergy housing was unconstitutional. The case, Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) vs. Lew, is currently on appeal to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and religious organizations are out in force defending the exemption.
7th Cir. to Decide Whether Ministerial Housing Exemption is Constitutional Read More »
Guatay, CA – A church is in high spirits after six years of litigation with the County of San Diego for abruptly shutting them down. The County agreed to confer a Minor Deviation Permit to the church, allowing them to continue operations despite having been zoned many years ago—and unknown to the church—as a country-western bar.
After 6-Year Fight, California County Drops Bid to Turn Church Into Bar Read More »
