California Christian School Loses RLUIPA Claim

On Friday, a jury in a California federal court ruled that Alameda County (CA) did not violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act when it denied Redwood Christian Schools a permit to construct a new building. The San Francisco Chronicle says that the jury—after nearly a week of deliberations—decided that the county rejected the school’s request because of the need to keep land for agricultural use and open spaces. The jury rejected a claim that an earlier grant of a permit to a private non-religious school showed discrimination against Redwood. The non-religious school was building in an already developed area and was constructing a smaller building. Redwood Christian plans an appeal.