Miles Christi Religious Order v. Township of Northville, 09-1618

Ripeness issue in an action under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act

Miles Christi Religious Order v. Township of Northville, 09-1618, concerned an action brought by a religious order and two of its members under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and the Federal and State Constitutions against a town and its officials over a dispute involving the application of several zoning ordinances to a residence that the order owns in the town.



In affirming the district court's grant of defendant's motion to dismiss in concluding that the suit was unripe, the court held that plaintiff has not satisfied the requirement for bringing this claim now as it has not shown that the government entity charged with implementing the regulations has reached a final decision regarding the application of the regulations to the property at issue, and it has not shown that it will suffer any hardship by delaying a federal court decision until the zoning board acts.

Related Link:

• Read the Sixth Circuit's Full Decision in Miles Christi Religious Order v. Township of Northville, 09-1618