The Bronx Household of Faith has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review a 2nd Circuit's decision in a dispute with New York City over the church's desire to meet in a public school building. In a 2-1 decision earlier this year, the 2nd Circuit affirmed the city's ban on using school buildings for religious worship. The Wall Street Journal reports:
The Supreme Court has heard several high-profile cases on schools and religious life in recent years, but justices haven't yet ruled on whether worship services should be allowed on school property.
That could make the Bronx church's case a strong candidate for the docket, said Emily Gold Waldman, an associate professor of law at Pace Law School.
"The Supreme Court has decided a number of cases leading up to this issue," Ms. Waldman said. "There's still the open question of 'what about pure religious worship?' That's what makes it different."
In discussing that ruling, the Baptist Joint Committee's Brent Walker emphasized that "if [a school] does open up to the outside, the school has to treat religion the same as any other group."
