A Festive Fight: 9th Circuit Rules on HOA’s Christmas Conflict
A Christmas display sparks legal battle over religious freedom. The Ninth Circuit partially reverses ruling against festive homeowners.
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Category: Land Use
Ocean Grove’s Beach Battle: A Church’s Tradition vs. Beach Access Law
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…
Uneven Approach to Law is Threat to Survival of America’s Cities
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…
Federal Court rules church can be excluded from California city downtown area
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…
Parties objecting to regulatory decision must follow administrative process
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…
Idaho Jury Finds HOA Discriminated Against Religion in Christmas House Case
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…
Religious Property Dispute- Katy Perry v. the Nuns v. a Restaurateur v. the Archdiocese
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…
Supreme Court Rules Sign Ordinance Adversely Affecting Church Fails Strict Scrutiny
[dc]A[/dc]fter a lengthy legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously (see Reed v. Gilbert , decided June 18, 2015) that a town…
7th Cir. to Decide Whether Ministerial Housing Exemption is Constitutional
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…
After 6-Year Fight, California County Drops Bid to Turn Church Into Bar
Guatay, CA - A church is in high spirits after six years of litigation with the County of San Diego for abruptly shutting them down.…