Attorney General Russell Coleman says the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to review a religious liberty case in which a Northern Kentucky church is trying to build an outdoor shrine on its property.
In April, General Coleman led a 20-state coalition to ask the Supreme Court to clear the way for Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Park Hills to build the shrine.
Coleman urged the nation’s highest court to take up the case and provide clarity to people of faith and religious organizations across the country about their rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). The federal law was meant to ensure governments do not impose substantial burdens on religious organizations through zoning laws.
The non-profit corporate Board of the former Missionaries of Saint John the Baptist, Inc. owns the property. The organization received zoning approval from the City in 2021 to build a modest shrine offering a quiet place for meditation and worship before and after Mass.
Neighbors who opposed the shrine brought a lawsuit, and the Kentucky Supreme Court eventually blocked the construction over Attorney General Coleman’s objections.
“We’re taking Kentucky’s fight for religious liberty all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. For the faithful at Our Lady of Lourdes and for every American, this fundamental freedom must be protected,” said Attorney General Coleman.
Kentucky Solicitor General Matt Kuhn, Principal Deputy Solicitor General Jack Heyburn and Deputy Solicitor General Jacob Abrahamson filed the brief on behalf of the states.
Office of Kentucky Attorney General