Justice Department Sues California City Under RLUIPA Over Buddhist Temple Use Permit

A press release by the U.S. Department of Justice yesterday reports that the federal government has filed a lawsuit against the city of Walnut, California, charging that it violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act when it refused to issue a conditional use permit to the Chung Tai Zen Center for it to operate a Buddhist house of worship on land it owned. The complaint charges that the Center's application was treated differently from that of other religious and non-religious groups. Until its denial in 2008 of the Center's application, the city had not refused to issue a conditional use permit to build, expand or operate a house of worship since 1980.