Wednesday, July 21, 2010

10th Circuit Makes Minor Changes In RLUIPA Zoning Opinion

On Monday, the 10th Circuit largely denied a petition for a limited panel rehearing in a RLUIPA church zoning case. In Rocky Mountain Christian Church v. Board of County Commissioners of Boulder County, Colorado, (10th Cir., July 19, 2010), the court made two modifications in its original opinion, changing language relating to the propriety of jury instructions. However the outcome of the case remained the same-- the court held that sufficient evidence was presented at trial to justify the jury's determination that the denial of a special use application to Rocky Mountain Christian Church violated the equal terms and unreasonable limitations provisions of RLUIPA. (See prior posting.) Yesterday's Longmont (CO) Times Call reported on the decision.