Supreme Court to Hear Religious Liberty Case Over Kentucky Shrine

On October 1, the U.S. Supreme Court granted review in Missionaries of St. John the Baptist v. Frederic, an important religious liberty appeal filed by Quinn Emanuel partner John Bash on behalf of a nonprofit organization founded by an association of Roman Catholic priests.

The case concerns the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), a statute that Congress enacted in part to ensure that property owners would not face undue burdens in using their property for religious purposes. The dispute arose when our client, Missionaries, sought to build a small shrine on its Kentucky property and was challenged by neighboring landowners.

The Court granted review to determine what qualifies as a “substantial burden” on religious practice under RLUIPA. A decision is expected by June 2027.

Mr. Bash is co-chair of the firm’s national appellate practice and has argued 11 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as numerous cases in federal and state appellate courts. He also served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas from 2017 to 2020, and he clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia and then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He is joined on the case by Quinn Emanuel colleague Olivia Horton and by attorneys from the nonprofit group First Liberty Institute.