The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today in U.S. District Court alleging the City of Troy, Idaho violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. They say it happened when the city denied a conditional use permit application by Christ Church.
The lawsuit alleges the church had outgrown its current space and couldn’t find a space to rent. It then sought a permit to operate a church in the city’s C-1 zoning district where t non-religious places where people can assemble were allowed.
A press release from the Justice Department says local residents vociferously opposed the Church’s application. It also says many of the written and verbal comments were hostile to the church’s beliefs. In the application, the City of Troy cited the fact that the public was “heavily against” it.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in the release that the law “unequivocally forbids local governments from deciding zoning matters based on their dislike of certain religious groups.”
Dhillon went on to say “The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that discriminate in land use matters on the basis of the applicants’ religious beliefs.”
The lawsuit alleges the city’s zoning code treats religious assembly use worse than non-religious assembly use.
