In Reeces Chapel Missionary Baptist Church v. Buck, (ED NC, Aug. 14, 2026), a North Carolina federal district court refused to dismiss a suit challenging North Carolina's statute barring a registered child sex offender from being within 300 feet of a location intended primarily for the use, care, or supervision of minors. Reece's Chapel is a religious organization that offers religious services. It has a play area and an area used for religious education of minors within 300 feet of its worship hall, so worship services are considered by law enforcement to be off limits for child sex offenders. The court said in part:
Doe desires to attend religious services in the Reeces Chapel worship hall.... Doe has a "sincerely held religious belief' that he must "attend worship services at a duly constituted Christian church.... Doe alleges that subsections 14-208.18(a)(2) and 14-208.llA "render every church within a reasonable distance from [his] home off-limits because all such churches have either play areas or areas dedicated to the instruction of minors."...
Reeces Chapel knows of Doe's conviction and status under subsection 14-208.18(a)(2) yet desires to admit him for religious services because of its "duty to minister to those seeking the comfort of Christ[,] ... includ[ing] those persons on the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry."...
Section 14-208.18 includes four exceptions to subsection (a) providing relief mechanisms for covered persons (1) who are the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school to visit that school property, (2) who are eligible to vote to visit polling places, (3) who are eligible to attend public school to attend such schools, or ( 4) who are juveniles to visit restricted areas for medical treatment or mental health services.... Such an exception regime "reveal[ s] a lack of neutrality by protecting secular activities more than comparable religious ones."...The state appears to trust the community's safety more when an offender votes or spends time at his child's school than when the offender goes to church (where minors may or may not be present). It cannot do so without justifying its choice with evidence....Buck must show that the "restrictions serve a compelling interest and are narrowly tailored to that end."...
Reeces Chapel alleges that it maintains and communicates a system of religious values to its members through congregational worship, teaching, and evangelism; that the challenged statutes exclude Doe from physically participating in the church's central expressive activities.... These allegations plausibly allege more than an incidental effect on expressive association.
