Posted on 02/03/2015 8:20:52 AM PST by SeekAndFind
A Christian church is continuing its battle for the unfettered right to rent New York City public school buildings to host worship services during non-school hours, with a conservative legal firm filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court that pushes back against the local government’s ban on such rentals.
The Alliance Defending Freedom has asked the Supreme Court to review a U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit decision that upheld a city policy banning the use of public school buildings for church worship after school hours, according to a press release from the legal firm.
The latest legal clash between the house of worship and the New York City government comes nearly one year after Mayor Bill de Blasio received praise from the faithful for seemingly coming to the rescue of houses of worship.
At the time, he pledged to overturn the ban that was previously adopted and upheld by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“I believe that a faith-based organization has a right like anyone else … to use that space,” de Blasio said at the time, pledging to update city regulations to reflect that sentiment.
But he never updated those rules, though the ban remains on hold while the Supreme Court decides whether it will hear a review of the appeals court ruling; the high court has rejected the case in the past, as Christianity Today reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at theblaze.com ...
They will court your vote and after they win, they will stab you in the back.
MORE DETAILS HERE:
http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/4781
Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education of the City of New York
Description: The Bronx Household of Faith is an inner-city New York City church that sought to rent a public school building on Sundays to hold its weekly worship service but had its request rejected by the New York City Board of Education. This led to a legal battle that began in the federal court system in 1995 to secure equal access to public buildings not only for Bronx Household of Faith, but for other churches and faith groups as well.
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court Monday that answers New York City’s arguments against high court scrutiny of its 20-year-old quest to ban worship services in empty public school buildings. In September of last year, ADF asked the high court to review a 2-1 ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit that upheld a city policy prohibiting worship services in public school buildings during non-school hours. The panel’s ruling is on hold until the Supreme Court decides whether to take the case.
“In New York City, any community group can meet in vacant school buildings for any purpose except for religious groups meeting to worship God. The city’s arguments in defense of this policy cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny,” said ADF Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence. “Evicting churches and the help they offer the people in their communities through their worship services in otherwise empty buildings on weekends helps no one. Violating the First Amendment, as New York City is doing, hurts everyone. For that reason, we hope the U.S. Supreme Court will agree to hear this important case.”
The panel’s ruling in Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education of the City of New York said that the city can single out for exclusion what it defines as “religious worship services.” The New York City Department of Education has defended this policy, known as Regulation I.Q., in court on and off since 1995 even though the department allows other community groups to rent space for their meetings.
“The Department did not need to open its facilities for after-hours nongovernmental uses, but it did. Now it must abide by constitutional rules forbidding express discrimination against religious expression and practices in otherwise permissible uses,” the ADF reply brief explains.
“Conspicuously absent from [the city’s] opposition is any attempt to describe how Reg. I.Q. survives the baseline free exercise [of religion] test announced…and affirmed in [two previous Supreme Court decisions],” the brief states. “This is not surprising because a government policy like Reg. I.Q., which singles out expressive conduct undertaken for religious reasons for exclusion from a public forum is not neutral or generally applicable and cannot be justified by an unfounded fear of violating the Establishment Clause.”
“Churches meeting in New York City public schools for worship services have fed the poor and needy, assisted in rehabilitating drug addicts and gang members, helped rebuild marriages and families, and provided for the disabled,” said ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman. “The churches have also helped the public schools themselves by volunteering to paint the interiors of inner-city schools; donating computers, musical instruments, and air conditioners; and providing effective after-school programs to help all students with their studies. We hope the Supreme Court will allow them to continue being a true benefit to the communities they love to serve.”
The Supreme Court is expected to consider the ADF petition at its Feb. 20 conference.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
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Somalis take over Community Centers in Kansas City and use them as mosques on weekends. Its not in the paper, on the tv or blogged about. Nobody knows save for the immediate neighbors. Stealth Jihad by City Council.
If the church is renting the facilities, what’s the problem? That can’t be construed as establishment. Even if they were getting for free, it wouldn’t constitute establishment if Satan worshipers could also use it for free.
Somebody should pretend to be Moslems and go try to rent the place (and secretly film it). When they’re met with open arms, pull “His Honor’s” pants down in public. Metaphorically speaking.
The groundhog killer.
If it was for the Muslims, he’d close the school to rent it out.
Refer to my #5 for a way to put him over a barrel and prep for subsequent winning lawsuit.
Just ask him to allow muzzies
Here in SE TN the Republican Party uses public schools for events..
OH NOOOOOOOOOEZ
I ALWAYS SAY THAT!
Show up wearing arab clothing and pretend to be a muzzie, NEVER say the word ‘mosque’ or ‘islam’ just say ‘religious’
which can then mean anything
However, this will be one of those very small victories we often win. The problem is that we lose the big ones.
I have predicted that Obamacare will be upheld as will the Executive Amnesty. Also, the Court will affirm same-sex marriage as legal and mandated across the nation.
This Court is hopelessly controlled by the powers that also control our government, economy and media. They do what they are told.
Sometimes I actually worry (snort) about what would happen if Big Pharma runs out of digitalis to keep liberal Hearts of Gold beating.
"Al, I hate your lily-livered black guts. If I was Mayor
of Ferguson, I'd say shoot to kill the little black punks."
==============================================
Sen Schumer runs out of digitalis.
"I dont give a s*** about poor black peoole."
No, I’m specifically thinking to openly say you’re Moslem, so you can have video/audio of the warm welcome, THEN sue their pants off.
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