Church loses property, wins war
5-year battle sought right to develop property
Posted: August 25, 2006

A five-year war over the right a church has to use its property for worship has ended with a decision in favor of a California congregation whose members wanted to develop a site in downtown Lake Elsinore.

But more importantly, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said the ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the only judge in the nation to have ruled unconstitutional the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.

"It erases any doubt as to the constitutionality of RLUIPA, at least for the land use portion," Becket Fund lawyer Roger Severino told WorldNetDaily.

The net effect of the ruling is that the Elsinore Christian Center now has permission to develop facilities and programs in Lake Elsinore. the rest