Overview
- The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case late in June 2026, bringing Daniel Grand’s challenge over a University Heights permit requirement to the nation’s highest court and pausing lower‑court rulings while the Court prepares to decide.
- Grand says city officials issued a cease‑and‑desist in January 2021 and demanded a special‑use permit before he could host a Sabbath minyan at his home, and he later withdrew his permit application because its conditions would have effectively forced his family to leave the house.
- Federal judges dismissed Grand’s lawsuit at the district level on September 30, 2024, and the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed that dismissal on November 13, 2025, rulings the Supreme Court will now review.
- Alliance Defending Freedom and Orrick represent Grand, and a broad coalition of religious and legal groups has filed amicus briefs arguing the case could affect home prayer meetings, Bible studies and other private faith gatherings across denominations.
- A Supreme Court ruling for either side could clarify how cities balance neutral land‑use rules—such as traffic, parking and occupancy limits—against First Amendment protections for private religious exercise, with oral-argument dates and a final decision still to be set.