Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) was among many members of Congress who filed an amicus brief supporting Daniel Grand and religious liberty.
The Context
In 2021, Daniel Grand, an observant Orthodox Jewish man in University Heights, Ohio, sought to hold an informal prayer group (minyan) in his house. However, City Law Director Luke McConville issued a cease-and-desist order, saying Grand could not use his residence as a place of religious assembly unless he applied for a special use permit (SUP).
Grand applied for an SUP, but the process was unusually "quasi-judicial" and "hostile," leading to Grand's lawsuit against the city, which has been taken all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Biggs's Support
Rep. Biggs joined with other members of Congress to cite an amicus brief in support of Grand, arguing that he has the right to host a prayer meeting under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA).
"Religious liberty was one of the foundational principles our Founders sought to protect when establishing our constitutional system of government," Rep. Biggs said in a statement. "The First Amendment and subsequent federal laws have protected generations of Americans in the free exercise of their faith without government intrusion or interference. No local government should be permitted to undermine or eliminate that fundamental right. I am honored to stand with Daniel Grand in his fight to freely exercise his religion within his own home, just as our Founders intended."
Previous Religious Liberty Protection Efforts
Last March, the Arizona congressman introduced the Guarding Religious and Career Education (GRACE) Act, which eliminates the Office of Enforcement from the Department of Education, arguing that the Biden Administration used it to unfairly target faith-based schools such as Grand Canyon University, Liberty University, and Ashland University.
The following December, Biggs praised the Department of Education for legally recognizing Grand Canyon University as a Christian non-profit organization, writing, "This is great news! Gone are the days of a weaponized Department of Education under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Thank you @POTUS and @EDSecMcMahon!"
