RE: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit

2017-04-06 Thread Laycock, H Douglas (hdl5c) 
The judge denied a motion to dismiss in the Culpeper case, which now appears to 
be headed for mediation.



Douglas Laycock
Robert E. Scott Distinguished Professor of Law
University of Virginia
580 Massie Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903
434-243-8546

From: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] 
on behalf of Eric Rassbach [erassb...@becketlaw.org]
Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2017 5:43 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: Re: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit



This post by Prof. Friedman is relevant to the discussion below from November. 
Also, I believe I saw elsewhere that DOJ was pushing the Culpeper mosque case 
along.


http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2017/04/doj-gives-new-emphasis-to-combating.html

DOJ Gives New Emphasis To Combating Religious Hate 
Crimes<http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2017/04/doj-gives-new-emphasis-to-combating.html>
religionclause.blogspot.com
Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday  issued a Memo ( full text ) to U.S. 
Attorney’s Offices and Department of Justice component heads ...






From: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu <religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu> 
on behalf of Kniffin, Eric N. <eknif...@lrrc.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 6:30 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: RE: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit


As Eric Rassbach mentioned, the Bush 43 administration brought a number of 
RLUIPA cases on behalf of Muslim religious groups. More broadly, the Civil 
Rights Division was given a leading role in the Bush administration’s tried to 
reach out to Muslim communities (and other groups mistaken for Muslims such as 
Sikhs) in the aftermath of 9/11. I was in the Civil Rights Division for parts 
of the Bush and Obama administrations and was proud to play a small part in 
these efforts.



The Civil Rights Division’s work to defend Muslims’ rights in the years after 
9/11 was celebrated in a 2011 conference, which was documented in a report 
published by the DOJ the following year: 
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2012/04/16/post911summit_report_2012-04.pdf.
 Here are some highlights from the report:

Confronting Discrimination in the Post-9/11 Era 
...<https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2012/04/16/post911summit_report_2012-04.pdf>
www.justice.gov
Confronting Discrimination in the Post-9/11 Era: Challenges and Opportunities 
Ten Years Later . A Report on the Civil Rights Division’s Post-9/11 Civil 
Rights Summit





-  In the first few months after 9/11, DOJ leaders attended more than 
100 meetings and events with representatives from the Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and 
South Asian communities.



-  One of the initiatives that came of these meetings was a “special 
backlash crime task force,” a team of AUSAs and prosecutors in the Civil Rights 
Division that was responsible for documenting, investigating, referring, and 
prosecuting threatened and actual violence against minority religious groups.



-  In the first few months after 9/11, DOJ investigated more than 350 
backlash-related criminal complaints, resulting in more than 70 state and local 
criminal prosecutions and 12 federal prosecutions.



-  In the first six years after 9/11, DOJ investigated more than 800 
incidents involving violence, threats, vandalism, and arson against Muslims or 
those perceived to be Muslims.



-  As to RLUIPA in particular, in the period from 2000 to 2010, 14% of 
DOJ’s RLUIPA land-use investigations involved mosques or Muslim schools, though 
Muslims only comprise 1% of the US population (page 11 of the report highlights 
some of these cases).



With Eric Rassbach, I am hopeful that the incoming administration will be as 
aggressive in reaching out to and protecting the Muslim community as the Bush 
DOJ was.



Eric





Eric N. Kniffin


Of Counsel


719.386.3017 office



719.386.3070 fax


eknif...@lrrc.com<mailto:eknif...@lrrc.com>


_


[cid:image003.png@01D244DD.BC150100]


Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP


90 South Cascade Avenue, Suite 1100


Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903-1662


lrrc.com<http://lrrc.com/>













From: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu 
[mailto:religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of Eric Rassbach
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 3:24 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: Re: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit



Chip --



I'm afraid I don't have any crystal ball on that. It is my recollection that 
there were a number of mosque cases brought during the previous Republican 
administration. One I know about because it was our case was the Albanian 
Associated Fund mosque case in Wayne, NJ. (New Jersey seems to be a bit of a 
hotspot on these.)

Eric





From: 
religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu<mailto:rel

Re: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit

2017-04-06 Thread Eric Rassbach 

This post by Prof. Friedman is relevant to the discussion below from November. 
Also, I believe I saw elsewhere that DOJ was pushing the Culpeper mosque case 
along.


http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2017/04/doj-gives-new-emphasis-to-combating.html

DOJ Gives New Emphasis To Combating Religious Hate 
Crimes<http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2017/04/doj-gives-new-emphasis-to-combating.html>
religionclause.blogspot.com
Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday  issued a Memo ( full text ) to U.S. 
Attorney’s Offices and Department of Justice component heads ...






From: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu <religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu> 
on behalf of Kniffin, Eric N. <eknif...@lrrc.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 6:30 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: RE: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit


As Eric Rassbach mentioned, the Bush 43 administration brought a number of 
RLUIPA cases on behalf of Muslim religious groups. More broadly, the Civil 
Rights Division was given a leading role in the Bush administration’s tried to 
reach out to Muslim communities (and other groups mistaken for Muslims such as 
Sikhs) in the aftermath of 9/11. I was in the Civil Rights Division for parts 
of the Bush and Obama administrations and was proud to play a small part in 
these efforts.



The Civil Rights Division’s work to defend Muslims’ rights in the years after 
9/11 was celebrated in a 2011 conference, which was documented in a report 
published by the DOJ the following year: 
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2012/04/16/post911summit_report_2012-04.pdf.
 Here are some highlights from the report:

Confronting Discrimination in the Post-9/11 Era 
...<https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2012/04/16/post911summit_report_2012-04.pdf>
www.justice.gov
Confronting Discrimination in the Post-9/11 Era: Challenges and Opportunities 
Ten Years Later . A Report on the Civil Rights Division’s Post-9/11 Civil 
Rights Summit





-  In the first few months after 9/11, DOJ leaders attended more than 
100 meetings and events with representatives from the Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and 
South Asian communities.



-  One of the initiatives that came of these meetings was a “special 
backlash crime task force,” a team of AUSAs and prosecutors in the Civil Rights 
Division that was responsible for documenting, investigating, referring, and 
prosecuting threatened and actual violence against minority religious groups.



-  In the first few months after 9/11, DOJ investigated more than 350 
backlash-related criminal complaints, resulting in more than 70 state and local 
criminal prosecutions and 12 federal prosecutions.



-  In the first six years after 9/11, DOJ investigated more than 800 
incidents involving violence, threats, vandalism, and arson against Muslims or 
those perceived to be Muslims.



-  As to RLUIPA in particular, in the period from 2000 to 2010, 14% of 
DOJ’s RLUIPA land-use investigations involved mosques or Muslim schools, though 
Muslims only comprise 1% of the US population (page 11 of the report highlights 
some of these cases).



With Eric Rassbach, I am hopeful that the incoming administration will be as 
aggressive in reaching out to and protecting the Muslim community as the Bush 
DOJ was.



Eric





Eric N. Kniffin


Of Counsel


719.386.3017 office



719.386.3070 fax


eknif...@lrrc.com<mailto:eknif...@lrrc.com>


_


[cid:image003.png@01D244DD.BC150100]


Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP


90 South Cascade Avenue, Suite 1100


Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903-1662


lrrc.com<http://lrrc.com/>













From: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu 
[mailto:religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of Eric Rassbach
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 3:24 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: Re: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit



Chip --



I'm afraid I don't have any crystal ball on that. It is my recollection that 
there were a number of mosque cases brought during the previous Republican 
administration. One I know about because it was our case was the Albanian 
Associated Fund mosque case in Wayne, NJ. (New Jersey seems to be a bit of a 
hotspot on these.)

Eric





From: 
religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu<mailto:religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu> 
<religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu<mailto:religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu>> 
on behalf of Ira Lupu <icl...@law.gwu.edu<mailto:icl...@law.gwu.edu>>
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 4:40 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: Re: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit



I wonder if Eric Rassbach (and others at The Becket Fund, which has commendably 
and energetically pursued RLUIPA cases on behalf of mosques and Muslim prison 
inmates) expects such lawsuits, by the DOJ

RE: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit

2016-11-22 Thread Kniffin, Eric N. 
As Eric Rassbach mentioned, the Bush 43 administration brought a number of 
RLUIPA cases on behalf of Muslim religious groups. More broadly, the Civil 
Rights Division was given a leading role in the Bush administration’s tried to 
reach out to Muslim communities (and other groups mistaken for Muslims such as 
Sikhs) in the aftermath of 9/11. I was in the Civil Rights Division for parts 
of the Bush and Obama administrations and was proud to play a small part in 
these efforts.

The Civil Rights Division’s work to defend Muslims’ rights in the years after 
9/11 was celebrated in a 2011 conference, which was documented in a report 
published by the DOJ the following year: 
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2012/04/16/post911summit_report_2012-04.pdf.
 Here are some highlights from the report:


-  In the first few months after 9/11, DOJ leaders attended more than 
100 meetings and events with representatives from the Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and 
South Asian communities.



-  One of the initiatives that came of these meetings was a “special 
backlash crime task force,” a team of AUSAs and prosecutors in the Civil Rights 
Division that was responsible for documenting, investigating, referring, and 
prosecuting threatened and actual violence against minority religious groups.



-  In the first few months after 9/11, DOJ investigated more than 350 
backlash-related criminal complaints, resulting in more than 70 state and local 
criminal prosecutions and 12 federal prosecutions.



-  In the first six years after 9/11, DOJ investigated more than 800 
incidents involving violence, threats, vandalism, and arson against Muslims or 
those perceived to be Muslims.



-  As to RLUIPA in particular, in the period from 2000 to 2010, 14% of 
DOJ’s RLUIPA land-use investigations involved mosques or Muslim schools, though 
Muslims only comprise 1% of the US population (page 11 of the report highlights 
some of these cases).

With Eric Rassbach, I am hopeful that the incoming administration will be as 
aggressive in reaching out to and protecting the Muslim community as the Bush 
DOJ was.

Eric


Eric N. Kniffin

Of Counsel

719.386.3017 office


719.386.3070 fax

eknif...@lrrc.com<mailto:eknif...@lrrc.com>

_

[cid:image003.png@01D244DD.BC150100]

Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP

90 South Cascade Avenue, Suite 1100

Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903-1662

lrrc.com<http://lrrc.com/>







From: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu 
[mailto:religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of Eric Rassbach
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 3:24 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: Re: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit


Chip --



I'm afraid I don't have any crystal ball on that. It is my recollection that 
there were a number of mosque cases brought during the previous Republican 
administration. One I know about because it was our case was the Albanian 
Associated Fund mosque case in Wayne, NJ. (New Jersey seems to be a bit of a 
hotspot on these.)

Eric


From: 
religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu<mailto:religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu> 
<religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu<mailto:religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu>> 
on behalf of Ira Lupu <icl...@law.gwu.edu<mailto:icl...@law.gwu.edu>>
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 4:40 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: Re: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit

I wonder if Eric Rassbach (and others at The Becket Fund, which has commendably 
and energetically pursued RLUIPA cases on behalf of mosques and Muslim prison 
inmates) expects such lawsuits, by the DOJ on behalf of those building a 
mosque, to continue in the next Administration.

On Tue, Nov 22, 2016 at 4:15 PM, Eric Rassbach 
<erassb...@becketfund.org<mailto:erassb...@becketfund.org>> wrote:



Thought list readers might be interested in this RLUIPA lawsuit announced by 
DOJ, on behalf of a mosque in New Jersey:



https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-suit-against-bernards-township-new-jersey-over-denial-zoning


___
To post, send message to 
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--
Ira C. Lupu
F. Elwood & Eleanor Davis Professor of Law, Emeritus
George Washington University Law School
2000 H St., NW
Washington, DC 20052
301-928-9178 (mobile, preferred)
202-994-7053 (office)
Co-author (with Professor Robert Tuttle) of "Secular Government, Religi

Re: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit

2016-11-22 Thread Eric Rassbach 
Chip --


I'm afraid I don't have any crystal ball on that. It is my recollection that 
there were a number of mosque cases brought during the previous Republican 
administration. One I know about because it was our case was the Albanian 
Associated Fund mosque case in Wayne, NJ. (New Jersey seems to be a bit of a 
hotspot on these.)

Eric


From: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu <religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu> 
on behalf of Ira Lupu <icl...@law.gwu.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 4:40 PM
To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
Subject: Re: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit

I wonder if Eric Rassbach (and others at The Becket Fund, which has commendably 
and energetically pursued RLUIPA cases on behalf of mosques and Muslim prison 
inmates) expects such lawsuits, by the DOJ on behalf of those building a 
mosque, to continue in the next Administration.

On Tue, Nov 22, 2016 at 4:15 PM, Eric Rassbach 
<erassb...@becketfund.org<mailto:erassb...@becketfund.org>> wrote:


Thought list readers might be interested in this RLUIPA lawsuit announced by 
DOJ, on behalf of a mosque in New Jersey:


https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-suit-against-bernards-township-new-jersey-over-denial-zoning



___
To post, send message to 
Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu<mailto:Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu>
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see 
http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw

Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private.  
Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can 
read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the 
messages to others.



--
Ira C. Lupu
F. Elwood & Eleanor Davis Professor of Law, Emeritus
George Washington University Law School
2000 H St., NW
Washington, DC 20052
301-928-9178 (mobile, preferred)
202-994-7053 (office)
Co-author (with Professor Robert Tuttle) of "Secular Government, Religious 
People" ( Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 2014))
My SSRN papers are here:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=181272#reg
___
To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see 
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Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private.  
Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can 
read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the 
messages to others.

Re: New Jersey RLUIPA lawsuit

2016-11-22 Thread Ira Lupu 
I wonder if Eric Rassbach (and others at The Becket Fund, which has
commendably and energetically pursued RLUIPA cases on behalf of mosques and
Muslim prison inmates) expects such lawsuits, by the DOJ on behalf of those
building a mosque, to continue in the next Administration.

On Tue, Nov 22, 2016 at 4:15 PM, Eric Rassbach 
wrote:

>
> Thought list readers might be interested in this RLUIPA lawsuit announced
> by DOJ, on behalf of a mosque in New Jersey:
>
>
> https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-
> suit-against-bernards-township-new-jersey-over-denial-zoning
>
>
>
> ___
> To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see
> http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw
>
> Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as
> private.  Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are
> posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or
> wrongly) forward the messages to others.
>



-- 
Ira C. Lupu
F. Elwood & Eleanor Davis Professor of Law, Emeritus
George Washington University Law School
2000 H St., NW
Washington, DC 20052
301-928-9178 (mobile, preferred)
202-994-7053 (office)
Co-author (with Professor Robert Tuttle) of "Secular Government, Religious
People" ( Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 2014))
My SSRN papers are here:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=181272#reg
___
To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see 
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Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private.  
Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can 
read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the 
messages to others.