Good morning, I received the attached letter from the DOJ regarding RLUIPA. I wanted to pass this along as it is a helpful reminder about the requirements under the statute. Please let me know if you have any questions. Amanda [logo]<https://imla.org/> [facebook icon]<https://www.facebook.com/InternationalMunicipalLawyersAssociation/>[twitter icon]<https://twitter.com/imlalegal>[linkedin icon]<https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-municipal-lawyers-association-inc./> Amanda Karras (she/her) Executive Director / General Counsel International Municipal Lawyers Association P: (202) 466-5424 x7116 D: (202) 742-1018 51 Monroe St. Suite 404 Rockville, MD, 20850 Plan Ahead! See IMLA's upcoming events<https://imla.org/events/>, calls and programming. Check out our On-Demand webinar library<https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/shopping/shopping.aspx?site=imla&webcode=shopping&cart=0&shopsearchCat=Merchandise&productCat=Webinar> with 100+ webinars at your fingertips! From: Office of the Assistant Attorney General (CRT) <CRT.OAAG@usdoj.gov> Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2024 5:54 PM Cc: Sacks, Noah (CRT) <Noah.Sacks@usdoj.gov> Subject: The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act [https://staticmediafiles.s3.amazonaws.com/media/uploads/logo/telteklogo_7aRlZQM.png] IRONSCALES couldn't recognize this email as this is the first time you received an email from this sender CRT.OAAG @ usdoj.gov Dear Colleague, Today, the Civil Rights Division issued the attached letter reminding State, County, and Municipal government officials about their obligations under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). RLUIPA is a federal civil rights law that, among other things, ensures that individuals and religious institutions are free from discriminatory and overly burdensome land use regulations. At this time when far too many faith communities are facing discrimination, it is vital that government officials and others involved in land use and zoning processes remain cognizant of their obligations under RLUIPA. In the attached letter, we discuss the importance of RLUIPA, explain its land use provisions, describe some of the work the Justice Department has been doing to enforce the law, and provide links to further information. We would appreciate it if you would circulate the letter broadly among the members of your organization. If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Noah Sacks, the Civil Rights Division's RLUIPA Coordinator, at 202-598-6366 or noah.sacks@usdoj.gov<mailto:noah.sacks@usdoj.gov>. Sincerely, Office of the Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division U.S. Department of Justice

A member is facing a RLUIPA equal terms / substantial burden complaint that was recently filed by a member of the community operating a synagogue in a residentially zoned district without a permit. The member is wondering if anyone else has recently dealt with a RLUIPA claim and might be willing to share any resources or speak with them about the case. Interestingly, the DOJ has filed a statement of interest in the case and this happened shortly after I received the attached (which was previously shared). I do think this means we may see increased activity by the DOJ in these cases. If you have any resources or insight into RLUIPA cases, let me know and I'll connect you with the member. You can contact me directly at akarras@imla.org<mailto:akarras@imla.org>. Thanks, Amanda [logo]<https://imla.org/> [facebook icon]<https://www.facebook.com/InternationalMunicipalLawyersAssociation/>[twitter icon]<https://twitter.com/imlalegal>[linkedin icon]<https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-municipal-lawyers-association-inc./> Amanda Karras (she/her) Executive Director / General Counsel International Municipal Lawyers Association P: (202) 466-5424 x7116 D: (202) 742-1018 51 Monroe St. Suite 404 Rockville, MD, 20850 Plan Ahead! See IMLA's upcoming events<https://imla.org/events/>, calls and programming. Check out our On-Demand webinar library<https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/shopping/shopping.aspx?site=imla&webcode=shopping&cart=0&shopsearchCat=Merchandise&productCat=Webinar> with 100+ webinars at your fingertips! From: Amanda Karras via Cityattorneys <cityattorneys@lists.imla.org> Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2024 9:24 AM To: Landuse@lists.imla.org; cityattorneys@lists.imla.org; counties@lists.imla.org Subject: [Cityattorneys] FW: The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act Good morning, I received the attached letter from the DOJ regarding RLUIPA. I wanted to pass this along as it is a helpful reminder about the requirements under the statute. Please let me know if you have any questions. Amanda [logo]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__imla.org_&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=jblVzryv37xz6dGHTIBd0omyr7IZ_ghleJygNWPo2JE&m=3aIrcrsVQjczKWWO-TQbNnv2qgjSGVclOEX4fG0LOAtUMBtQVS6jdZ9XXxILwQ7N&s=k0L8g8zHd6xZtHe0yo_v6mLDCQSEY7Nm-HaXwqe5kmg&e=> [facebook icon]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.facebook.com_InternationalMunicipalLawyersAssociation_&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=jblVzryv37xz6dGHTIBd0omyr7IZ_ghleJygNWPo2JE&m=3aIrcrsVQjczKWWO-TQbNnv2qgjSGVclOEX4fG0LOAtUMBtQVS6jdZ9XXxILwQ7N&s=lGDuPUCZzIcwP0hQsKTzW7Gsbda9kuiTCfFH1GaFXoY&e=>[twitter icon]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_imlalegal&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=jblVzryv37xz6dGHTIBd0omyr7IZ_ghleJygNWPo2JE&m=3aIrcrsVQjczKWWO-TQbNnv2qgjSGVclOEX4fG0LOAtUMBtQVS6jdZ9XXxILwQ7N&s=f-apDBlfZiHp4AF5gCH8ez4Yf0nlAe7SikGVV8eb-1I&e=>[linkedin icon]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.linkedin.com_company_international-2Dmunicipal-2Dlawyers-2Dassociation-2Dinc._&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=jblVzryv37xz6dGHTIBd0omyr7IZ_ghleJygNWPo2JE&m=3aIrcrsVQjczKWWO-TQbNnv2qgjSGVclOEX4fG0LOAtUMBtQVS6jdZ9XXxILwQ7N&s=49SbGHSQijc6Kih5Xtye4sL0ac_I322aX61dmrbPjmk&e=> Amanda Karras (she/her) Executive Director / General Counsel International Municipal Lawyers Association P: (202) 466-5424 x7116 D: (202) 742-1018 51 Monroe St. Suite 404 Rockville, MD, 20850 Plan Ahead! See IMLA's upcoming events<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__imla.org_events_&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=jblVzryv37xz6dGHTIBd0omyr7IZ_ghleJygNWPo2JE&m=3aIrcrsVQjczKWWO-TQbNnv2qgjSGVclOEX4fG0LOAtUMBtQVS6jdZ9XXxILwQ7N&s=Hoaq6exnVQ_dhgnWxY4uXvLwYmkGMYRzEJgH1KKnwH8&e=>, calls and programming. Check out our On-Demand webinar library<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__netforum.avectra.com_eweb_shopping_shopping.aspx-3Fsite-3Dimla-26webcode-3Dshopping-26cart-3D0-26shopsearchCat-3DMerchandise-26productCat-3DWebinar&d=DwMFAg&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=jblVzryv37xz6dGHTIBd0omyr7IZ_ghleJygNWPo2JE&m=3aIrcrsVQjczKWWO-TQbNnv2qgjSGVclOEX4fG0LOAtUMBtQVS6jdZ9XXxILwQ7N&s=ustR73xCWbmzKTWRxTVoUnTxIh5YvryoXf-M4-zwzoE&e=> with 100+ webinars at your fingertips! From: Office of the Assistant Attorney General (CRT) <CRT.OAAG@usdoj.gov> Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2024 5:54 PM Cc: Sacks, Noah (CRT) <Noah.Sacks@usdoj.gov> Subject: The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act [https://staticmediafiles.s3.amazonaws.com/media/uploads/logo/telteklogo_7aRlZQM.png] IRONSCALES couldn't recognize this email as this is the first time you received an email from this sender CRT.OAAG @ usdoj.gov Dear Colleague, Today, the Civil Rights Division issued the attached letter reminding State, County, and Municipal government officials about their obligations under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). RLUIPA is a federal civil rights law that, among other things, ensures that individuals and religious institutions are free from discriminatory and overly burdensome land use regulations. At this time when far too many faith communities are facing discrimination, it is vital that government officials and others involved in land use and zoning processes remain cognizant of their obligations under RLUIPA. In the attached letter, we discuss the importance of RLUIPA, explain its land use provisions, describe some of the work the Justice Department has been doing to enforce the law, and provide links to further information. We would appreciate it if you would circulate the letter broadly among the members of your organization. If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Noah Sacks, the Civil Rights Division's RLUIPA Coordinator, at 202-598-6366 or noah.sacks@usdoj.gov<mailto:noah.sacks@usdoj.gov>. Sincerely, Office of the Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division U.S. Department of Justice