Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Tuesday he is leading a 20-state coalition to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to clear the way for a northern Kentucky church to build an outdoor shrine on its property.
In a brief, Coleman and the states urge the nation’s highest court to take up the case and underscore the fundamental protections of religious practice under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
The Missionaries of Saint John the Baptist is a Roman Catholic religious order that operates Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Park Hills. The order received zoning approval from the City in 2021 to build a modest shrine offering a quiet place for meditation and worship before and after Mass. Neighbors who opposed the shrine brought a lawsuit, and the Kentucky Supreme Court eventually blocked the construction over Coleman’s strong objections.
“In this country, we cannot allow a heckler’s veto to trump religious liberty,” Coleman said. “It’s not up to the courts to decide how we practice our faith. We’re asking the U.S. Supreme Court to provide nationwide clarity and stand with people of faith who simply want to worship without unlawful government interference.”
Congress unanimously passed the RLUIPA in 2000, and President Bill Clinton signed it into law. The law was meant to ensure governments do not impose substantial burdens on religious organizations through zoning laws. According to Coleman’s office, unfortunately, many courts, and now the Kentucky Supreme Court, have misinterpreted the law and infringed on Americans’ religious liberty.
Coleman and the other attorneys general in the coalition are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up this case and provide clarity to people of faith and religious organizations across the country about their rights under RLUIPA.
The 20-state coalition, led by Coleman, is joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.
Kentucky Solicitor General Matt Kuhn, Principal Deputy Solicitor General Jack Heyburn and Deputy Solicitor General Jacob Abrahamson filed the brief on behalf of the states.
You can read the entire brief here.
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
