There is no single and correct way to tabulate a compilation of RLUIPA's case law in the land use context. Many land use disputes are settled before litigation ever becomes necessary, and many more are settled at varying stages of litigation. This compilation excludes settlements (with exceptions, see below) because many are untraceable and partial inclusion would distort the success rate of religious organizations. Instead, this compilation focuses centrally on the success rates of religious organization plaintiffs in their claims on the merits. The success rates below are therefore not completely indicative of a religious organization's actual likeliness of achieving success in pursuing legal remedy; relief can be and often is obtained through mediation that may not involve the final decision of a court on the merits of a claim. A typical religious organization therefore has a likelihood of obtaining relief above and beyond the success rates below. The success rates and chronological listing of cases nonetheless provide illustration of court assessments of RLUIPA in practice over the statute's first 15 years of existence, subject to the following methodological stipulations:
A favorable ruling refers to a ruling on the merits in favor of a religious organization, a jury verdict in favor of a religious organization followed by settlement, remand on the merits in favor of a religious organization followed by settlement, or the granting of an injunction or temporary restraining order in favor of a religious organization.
Disputes settled before a jury verdict, grant of injunction or temporary restraining order, or ruling on the merits have been excluded.
A pleading is justiciable if a plaintiff has standing and its claim is ripe and not moot. Justiciability is emphasized in this compilation and treated as distinct from jurisdictional considerations because of the prevalence of standing concerns in land use litigation.
A claim that was pled but later precluded by the court because another claim was successful is considered a claim not pled.
| Rate of Success for All RLUIPA Land Use Cases | |||||
| Claim Type | Overall Times Pled | Total Justiciable Pleadings | Favorable Rulings | Overall Success Rate | Success Rate on Justiciable Claims |
| Substantial Burden | 118 | 100 | 22 | 19% | 22% |
| Equal Terms | 56 | 47 | 12 | 21% | 26% |
| Nondiscrimination | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Exclusions and Limits | 20 | 14 | 2 | 10% | 14% |
| State ex rel. Scadden v. Willhite | 2002 WL 452472 (Ohio Ct. App. Mar. 26, 2002) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Prater v. City of Burnside | 289 F.3d 417 (6th Cir. May 7, 2002) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination Exclusions and Limits | No No | N/A N/A | |||
| Cottonwood Christian Center v. Cypress Redevelopment Agency | 218 F. Supp. 2d 1203 (C.D. Cal. Aug. 6, 2002) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Kaahumanu v. County of Maui | 315 F.3d 1215 (9th Cir. Jan. 14, 2003) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Evanston, Inc. v. City of Evanston | 250 F. Supp. 2d 961 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 31, 2003) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | Yes | No | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | Yes | No | |||
| North Pacific Union Conference Ass'n of the Seventh-Day Adventists v. Clark County | 74 P.3d 140 (Wash. Ct. App. Aug. 12, 2003) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Civil Liberties for Urban Believers v. City of Chicago | 342 F.3d 752 (7th Cir. Aug. 20, 2003) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | Yes | No | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Davis v. Zoning Board of Appeals | 154 Ohio App. 3d 407 (1st Dist. Sept. 19, 2003) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | Yes | No | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| San Jose Christian College v. City of Morgan Hill | 360 F.3d 1024 (9th Cir. Mar. 8, 2004) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Castle Hills First Baptist Church v. City of Castle Hills | 2004 WL 546792 (W.D.Tex. Mar. 17, 2004) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | Yes | No | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | Yes | No | |||
| Christ Universal Mission Church v. City of Chicago | 362 F.3d 423 (7th Cir. Mar. 26, 2004) | Substantial Burden | No | Yes | N/A |
| Equal Terms | Yes | No | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Midrash Sephardi, Inc. v. Town of Surfside | 366F.3d 1214 (11th Cir. Apr. 21, 2004) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | Yes | Yes | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Cedar Rapids Zen Center, Inc. v. City of Cedar Rapids | 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10488 (N.D. Iowa Apr. 23, 2004) | Substantial Burden | Yes | No | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Episcopal Student Foundation v. City of Ann Arbor | 341 F. Supp. 2d 691 (E.D. Mich. Aug. 24, 2004) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Congregation Kol Ami v. Abington Township | 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16397 (E.D. Pa. Aug. 17, 2004) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| DiLaura v. Township of Ann Arbor | 112 F. App'x 445 (6th Cir. Oct. 6, 2004) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Second Baptist Church of Leech-burg v. Gilpin Township | 118 F.App'x 615 (3d Cir. Dec. 22, 2004) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Cathedral Church of the Intercessor v. Incorporated Village of Malverne | 353 F. Supp. 2d 375 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 25, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, Inc. v. City of New Berlin | 396 F.3d 895 (7th Cir. Feb. 1, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Williams Island Synagogue, Inc. v. City of Aventura | 358 F. Supp. 2d 1207 (S.D. Fla. Feb. 24, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | Yes | No | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Murphy v. New Milford Zoning Commission | 402 F.3d 342 (2d Cir. Mar. 25, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | No | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. City of West Linn | 338 Or. 453 (May 5, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Konikov v. Orange County | 410 F.3d 1317 (11th Cir. June 3, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | Yes | Yes | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Town of Mount Pleasant v. Legion of Christ, Inc. | 800 N.Y.S.2d 34 (App. Div. Aug. 1, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| House of Fire Christian Church v. Zoning Board of Adjustment of the City of Clifton | 379 N.J. Super. 526 (Aug. 22, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Liberty Road Christian School v. Todd County Health Department & Cabinet for Health Services & Families | 2005 Ky. App. Unpub. LEXIS 681 (Sept. 16, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc. v. St. Francis Hospital Mooresville | 397 F. Supp. 2d 1032 (S.D. Ind. Nov. 2, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Faith Temple Church v. Town of Brighton | 405 F. Supp. 2d 250 (W.D.N.Y. Dec. 19, 2005) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | No | N/A | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| Hope v. Sadsbury Township Zoning Hearing Board | 890 A.2d 1137 (Pa. Commw. Ct. Jan. 17, 2006) | Substantial Burden | Yes | Yes | No |
| Equal Terms | Yes | No | |||
| Nondiscrimination | No | N/A | |||
| Exclusions and Limits | No | N/A | |||
| City & County of Honolulu v. Sherman | 129 P.3d 542 (Haw. Feb. 28, 2006) |
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