The U.S. Supreme Court is set to review a religious freedom dispute involving an Orthodox Jewish man in Ohio who alleges that local officials violated his constitutional rights by requiring a permit for prayer gatherings at his residence.
Daniel Grand filed a lawsuit against the City of University Heights after officials sought to prevent him from holding religious meetings at home. The case, reported by Baptist Press, has reached the nation's highest court following the dismissal of his claims by lower federal courts.
According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which represents Grand, the controversy began in January 2021 when he invited several friends to participate in Sabbath prayers at his home. After an invitation was forwarded to the mayor’s office by someone opposing the gathering, city authorities issued a cease-and-desist notice, asserting that the meetings required a special-use permit under local zoning regulations.
Officials categorized the proposed gatherings as religious assemblies, placing them under permit requirements similar to those governing synagogues and other houses of worship, according to ADF.
University Heights Mayor Michael Brennan has defended the city's position, arguing that the proposed gathering violated municipal regulations because more than 10 people had been invited.
“Grand wanted to use his residential property as a recurring place where a group of people would assemble for religious services,” the city's attorneys stated in a court filing.
Grand contends that the city's enforcement actions violated his rights under the First Amendment, which protects religious exercise.
“Every American has the right to host a prayer gathering in his home, and he certainly doesn’t need a city permit to do so. When government officials forbid that, courts must hold those individuals accountable, immediately,” said John Bursch, ADF senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy.
The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have also submitted a joint amicus brief supporting Grand's religious freedom claims. The organizations argue that the city's cease-and-desist notice infringed on his rights under the First Amendment and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Dec. 9 to determine whether government threats that discourage religious activity can support a constitutional claim before local zoning procedures have been fully completed.
