The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department has filed suit against the town of Walnut, California over its denial of a building permit to a Buddhist house of worship. A press release explains the background of the complaint, which alleges a violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act:
The lawsuit, filed today in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that until it denied the Zen Center’s application in January 2008, the city had not rejected any application for a conditional use permit to build, expand or operate a house of worship since at least 1980. The complaint further alleges that the city treated the Zen Center differently than similarly situated religious and non-religious facilities. For example, the complaint alleges that in August 2008, the city approved a conditional use permit for a Catholic church that, when completed, will be larger than the Zen Center’s proposed facility. The complaint also alleges that between 1998 and 2003, the city built a civic center complex two blocks from Zen Center’s former location in Walnut.
