Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield v. City of Springfield
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
724 F.3d 78 (2013)
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield (RCB) (plaintiff) closed a church and planned to deconsecrate it by removing or covering religious symbols before selling or leasing it. After RCB demolished another closed church, worried parishioners and the city's historical commission pushed through an ordinance making the closed church its own historic district, requiring RCB to get approval before altering the exterior. RCB sued the City of Springfield (defendant), claiming the ordinance violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and the First Amendment's protection of religious exercise.
Whether an ordinance designating a closed church as a single-parcel historic district, requiring approval to alter its exterior, substantially burdens religious exercise under RLUIPA or violates the First Amendment.