By: Melissa Quinn – washingtonexaminer.com – June 13, 2018

The Justice Department has rolled out a new initiative that aims to protect the ability of religious institutions to access facilities through increased enforcement of federal land use provisions.

Called the “Place to Worship” Initiative, the project will emphasize the ability of places of worship and religious institutions to build, expand, buy, or rent facilities, as allowed under land use provisions of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to further discuss the initiative later in the day Wednesday.

“The Constitution doesn’t just protect freedom to worship in private — it protects the public exercise of religious belief, including where people worship together,” Sessions said in a statement. “Under the laws of this country, government cannot discriminate against people based on their religion — not in law enforcement, not in grant-making, not in hiring, and not in local zoning laws.”

Sessions went on to praise President Trump for his commitment to religious liberty and said the Justice Department’s new initiative stems from that pledge.

“President Trump is an unwavering defender of the right of free exercise, and under his leadership, the Department of Justice is standing up for the rights of all Americans,” Sessions said. “By raising awareness about our legal rights, the Place to Worship Initiative will help us bring more civil rights cases, win more cases, and prevent discrimination from happening in the first place.”

Alongside the launch of the new initiative, the Justice Department announced it filed a lawsuit against the Borough of Woodcliff Lake in New Jersey alleging violations of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

The complaint follows an investigation launched by the federal government last year into the town’s response to efforts by Valley Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish congregation, to build a new place of worship there.

The lawsuit alleges Woodcliff Lake imposed a substantial burden on Valley Chabad’s religious exercise.

As part of the “Place to Worship” Initiative, the Justice Department said it will be working with U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country to build awareness of land use provisions in the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which protects places of worship and religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and landmarking laws.

To do that, the department intends to host community outreach events nationwide, educate municipal officials and religious organizations about the law’s requirements, and provide federal prosecutors with more training and resources.

Under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, land use regulations that impose a “substantial burden” on religious exercise are prohibited. The federal law also prohibits religious or denominational discrimination.

The “Place to Worship” Initiative is the latest effort by the Justice Department under Sessions’ leadership focused on religious liberty.

In October, Sessions issued government-wide guidance advising federal agencies to adhere to 20 “principles of religious liberty.”

Sessions’ guidance followed Trump’s religious liberty executive order, which critics feared would lead to discrimination against the LGBT community.

In January, the Justice Department updated its U.S. Attorneys’ Manual to include a new section on religious liberty.

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Source: DOJ moves to prevent discrimination against houses of worship