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. This practice, in effect between Memorial Day and Labor Day, totals 45 hours of closure each summer.
However, this year, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has challenged the Association’s long-standing tradition, threatening fines of $25,000 per day for violating state beach access laws. According to these regulations, public access to beaches must be maintained without undue restrictions, a rule the NJDEP argues the Association has been flouting.
In response to the NJDEP’s threats, the Association sought an emergency ruling to continue their Sunday morning closures, arguing that the Department’s actions infringe upon their right to free exercise of religion, represent an impermissible taking of property, and deny them equal protection under the law. Despite their efforts, the court did not grant the emergency ruling, compelling the Association to open the beach this past Sunday while the litigation is ongoing.
The case brings to light the tension between maintaining religious traditions and adhering to modern public access laws. The Association’s argument hinges on constitutional protections, while the state emphasizes the importance of unrestricted public access to natural resources.
More likely than not, the church’s attempt to “bogart” the beach every Sunday will fail.
For more details, visit the full story on NBC New York.