Baptist Church Sues Illinois Village Over Occupancy Permit

The Chicagoland Baptist Church on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Lansing, Illinois over barriers placed in the way of the issuance of an occupancy permit for the church to use a former VFW meeting hall that it purchased.  Christian Newswire reports on the filing. The complaint (full text) in Chicagoland Baptist Church v. Village of Lansing, Illinois, (ND IL, filed 2/28/2012), claims that: "Although the zoning of the Property at the time of purchase allowed a church as a permitted use as of right, the Church has been unable to hold worship services in the VFW meeting hall because the Village has informed the Church that as a precondition to obtaining an occupancy permit, it must install various cost-prohibitive, unnecessary, legally not require and wasteful systems to the building." The complaint sets out a series of actions by city officials that have thwarted the church's attempt to use the building for its worship. Relying on the 1st and 14th Amendments, as well as the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the church seeks a declaratory judgment, an injunction and damages.