Congregation Etz Chaim v. City of Los Angeles (C.D. Cal.)

On April 28, 2011, the United States filed a Statement of Interest in Congregation Etz Chaim v. City of Los Angeles (C.D. Cal.), in support of the Congregation's motion for summary judgment in this Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) suit. The statement of interest addresses the standard the court should apply in evaluating the Congregation's RLUIPA Section 2(b)(1) claim, and discusses certain criteria for determining whether a substantial burden exists under RLUIPA Section 2(a). On January 6, 2011, the court issued an order holding that the City's administrative zoning decisions did not preclude the congregation's RLUIPA claims in federal court. The United States had filed a statement of interest on November 1, 2010. In the order, the court quoted the United States' Statement of Interest extensively.