Supreme Court to Hear Case on Home Prayer Meetings and Zoning Permits
The Supreme Court agreed on June 30 to hear Grand v. City of University Heights, a case brought by Daniel Grand, an Orthodox Jewish resident of a Cleveland suburb who wanted to host a minyan, a prayer gathering of at least ten people, in his home on the Sabbath. After a neighbor complained, the city sent Grand a cease-and-desist notice in January 2021 demanding he obtain a special-use permit for religious assembly in his single-family-zoned home. Grand withdrew his permit application after neighbors packed a hostile public hearing, then sued under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
The Court will decide whether someone in Grand's position must exhaust the local permit process before they can challenge it in court, a procedural question that will determine how easily religious groups nationwide can contest zoning rules on small home gatherings, Bible studies included, without first risking a hostile local hearing. Oral arguments have not yet been scheduled.
