Church May Continue With Its RLUIPA and State RFRA Claims

In Church of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ v. City of Markham, Illinois, (ND IL, Aug. 19, 2015), plaintiff claimed that after it had operated in the same location for ten years without issue, it received a summons telling it to close on safety grounds because it had not received a conditional use permit. An Illinois federal district court allowed plaintiff to proceed with its "substantial burden" claims under RLUIPA and Illinois' RFRA, but dismissed its discrimination claim. It also allowed plaintiff to move ahead with its claim under the state constitution that the city's refusal to amend its zoning ordinance was arbitrary and capricious.