Court Rejects Several of School's Claims In Attempt To Get Building Permit

An earlier posting reported on a jury's ruling against Redwood Christian Schools in its RLUIPA discrimination claim against Alameda County, California. The school was seeking a permit to construct a new building. Now there is available the California federal district court's opinion in the same case dismissing the school's First Amendment claims, and one of its RLUIPA claims, before they reached the jury. In Redwood Christian Schools v. County of Alameda, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22626 (ND CA, March 8, 2007), the court rejected as a matter of law the school's claim that its free exercise, freedom of association and free speech rights had been violated. The court also rejected a RLUIPA "Unreasonable Limitation" claim.