Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education of the City of New York

The Bronx Household of Faith is an inner-city New York City church that sought to rent a public school building on Sundays to hold its weekly worship service, but had its request rejected by the New York City Board of Education. This led to a 20-year legal battle that began in the federal court system in 1995 to secure equal access to public buildings not only for Bronx Household of Faith, but for other churches and faith groups as well.

Case Timeline

• 1995: Bronx Household of Faith filed a lawsuit challenging a New York City policy that barred groups from renting school facilities for “religious worship services.”
• June 2002: A federal district court in Manhattan granted an injunction that allowed churches to start renting school facilities for their services.
• April 2014: After almost 13 years, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit overturned the district court’s ruling, threatening dozens of churches that were meeting in schools.
• September 2014: ADF attorneys asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.
• March 2015: The Supreme Court declined to hear the case, meaning the 2nd Circuit’s decision threatening churches could stand. Thankfully, just hours later, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he would change New York City’s policy and ensure churches had equal access to rent school facilities for worship services.

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Bronx Church’s 20-Year Legal Battle Led to Freedom for New Yorkers of All Faiths