Opinion ID: 3003707
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Church Will Suffer Irreparable Harm

Text: Although the Church has a low probability of success in its RLUIPA claim, we recognize that “bright lines do not always mark the difference between no chance and slight chance.” See AM Gen. Corp. v. DaimlerChrysler Corp., 311 F.3d 796, 831 (7th Cir. 2002). The purpose of our analysis is to reduce the cost of error. Id. Assuming the Church’s likelihood of success reaches the non-negligible threshold, we conclude that it would not be entitled to a preliminary injunction. At stake in this appeal is the Church’s ability to move forward with its plans to relocate to Hazel Crest, and to carry out its neighborhood redevelopment plans in the interim, while the case is pending in the district court. A No. 08-2819 19 preliminary injunction would do just that. Of course, this means that the Village would be forced to grant a zoning exception to the Church, in a district reserved for commercial development. As a result, we address whether the Church will suffer irreparable harm if it is not allowed to relocate immediately, and, if so, whether it exceeds the harm an injunction would cause to the Village. Irreparable harm is a type of injury that “cannot be repaired, retrieved, put down again, atoned for . . .” and is not compensable in monetary terms. Graham v. Med. Mut. of Ohio, 130 F.3d 293, 296 (7th Cir. 1997); see also East St. Louis Laborers’ Local 100 v. Bellon Wrecking & Salvage Co., 414 F.3d 700, 703-04 (7th Cir. 2005). In assessing the risk of irreparable harm, our focus is not simply what the Church will lose by an unfavorable ruling, but rather on the harm of error. In other words, assuming the Church ultimately wins this case on the merits and receives all the relief it seeks, “what irreparable harm would the denial of a preliminary injunction cause to the [Church]”? DaimlerChrysler Corp., 311 F.3d at 831. This is just another way of asking: what is the harm in waiting for a final adjudication on the merits? The Church believes that we should presume irreparable harm because it alleged a violation of RLUIPA, which protects the constitutional right of religious exercise in the land use context. We recognize that the loss of First Amendment rights constitutes irreparable harm. Christian Legal Soc’y, 453 F.3d at 867 (citing Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347, 373 (1976)). But the inter20 No. 08-2819 section between RLUIPA and the First Amendment is only partial, because RLUIPA extends the Free Exercise clause jurisprudence to the land use context. For instance, RLUIPA’s Equal Terms provision applies to laws that do not necessarily impose a substantial burden on religious practices; but such laws do not violate the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, even if they have incidental effects on a religion. Lukumi, 508 U.S. at 531-32; see also Civil Liberties for Urban Believers, 342 F.3d at 766 (holding that whatever obstacles the zoning ordinance presented to the church’s ability to locate did not regulate or interfere with its ability to “adhere to the central tenets of [its members’] religious beliefs.”). Since we cannot presume that RLUIPA and First Amendment violations are one and the same, a plaintiff alleging irreparable harm as a result of a RLUIPA violation must explain how the challenged law or regulation affects his religious exercise. For our purposes, the Church must explain how the inability to relocate to the Village’s TIF District inhibits its religious exercise or otherwise creates irreparable harm. See Lighthouse, 510 F.3d 253, 274 (3d Cir. 2007). Location, according to the Church, is critical to the success of its mission, and a zoning ordinance that prevents it from relocating to the blighted area of Hazel Crest Proper prevents it from carrying out its ministry effectively. The Church plans to “empower communities” and “transform economic conditions” using a grassroots approach that includes a women’s ministry, literacy programs, assistance with small business ventures, and other forms of community revitalization. A location No. 08-2819 21 where it can be a “focal point” and remain in close proximity to Hazel Crest’s poorer communities and schools with low reading scores is instrumental to the Church’s mission. To that end, we agree with the district court that the Church’s inability to relocate can be considered irreparable harm. It limits the reach of its ministry, even if temporarily, and, by extension, inhibits its religious exercise. See Jolly v. Coughlin, 76 F.3d 468, 482 (2d Cir. 1996) (“[I]t is the alleged violation of a constitutional right that triggers a finding of irreparable harm . . . although plaintiff’s free exercise claim is statutory rather than constitutional, the denial of a plaintiff’s right to the free exercise of his religious beliefs is a harm that cannot be adequately compensated monetarily.”).