An Orthodox Jewish homeowner in Ohio, Daniel Grand, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to revive his lawsuit after he says city officials targeted him for hosting a prayer gathering in his home. Grand had invited about a dozen friends to join him for prayer at his home in University Heights in January 2021.

Background of the Case

After a neighbor learned of the planned gathering and complained to city officials, Grand received a cease-and-desist letter, and then-Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan told him he would need a special-use permit to comply with local zoning rules governing religious assemblies. Grand initially applied for the permit in an effort to comply before he fully understood what the city was requiring.

He later learned that the permit was designed for his property to operate as a house of worship and carried requirements including three acres of land, parking accommodations, and other conditions. According to Grand, obtaining the permit would have converted his home into a nonresidential property, meaning he could no longer live there.

City’s Response and Grand’s Allegations

Grand alleges that Brennan encouraged neighbors to report activity at his home and that police conducted frequent drive-bys. Grand also alleges that city services stopped collecting his trash for several weeks and that officials threatened him with “bogus” property violations in an effort to build a case against him. Grand argues that the city discriminated against him based on religion, saying officials would not have objected to a secular social gathering at his home.

Grand filed a federal lawsuit in 2022. However, a federal district court and a subsequent appeals court dismissed key portions of the case as unripe, ruling that he had not completed the city’s permitting process or obtained a final zoning decision before suing. Grand’s attorneys, including lawyers with Alliance Defending Freedom, argue he should not have needed a permit to host a small prayer gathering in his home.

Supreme Court Petition

Grand has now petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to decide by the end of June whether to hear the case. His legal team is asking the court to clarify whether local governments can issue credible threats that chill religious exercise, force homeowners to a public land-use approval process for private prayer, and avoid judicial review by later changing their positions.

Several faith groups, including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim organizations, have filed amicus briefs in support of Grand’s petition. The city, now under the leadership of Mayor Michele Weiss, argued that Grand abandoned the local permit process before officials could issue a final decision and that he was later informed he could host the prayer gathering without a permit.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.