Supreme Court Takes Kentucky Church Shrine Case
Reported October 1, 2026 | Procedural status: U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case; no merits ruling yet.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review a dispute over a Kentucky church’s proposal to build a shrine to the Virgin Mary on a residential parcel next to its church in Park Hills. The church, Missionaries of Saint John the Baptist, argues that the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) protects its religious exercise from land-use rules that impose a substantial burden.
Neighbors who opposed the project have cited traffic concerns and argued that the shrine could be built on the church’s existing property. The Court’s decision to hear the case does not resolve whether the proposed shrine is protected by RLUIPA; arguments are expected in a future term.